Two-seat, high-wing, tricycle gear, Continental engine. From the outside, the Cessna 150 and 152 look virtually identical. Inside — in terms of what they cost, how they fly, and what you're actually getting into — the differences matter more than most buyers realise.
We have 1,489 Cessna 150 transactions and 515 Cessna 152 transactions in our database. Here is what those 2,004 sales tell you.
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## The Short Answer
**Buy the 150** if you want the lowest entry price, don't mind the 100LL carburettor engine, and value the wider selection of available aircraft (the 150 was built for 20 years).
**Buy the 152** if you want a more modern airframe with a slightly bigger engine, better parts availability for that specific powerplant, and you're not on an extreme budget.
Neither choice is wrong. Both are excellent trainers. The gap is narrower than most people think — and the real differences are in the engine, the price floor, and what era of aircraft you want to own.
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## The Numbers: What They Actually Sell For
Across 1,489 Cessna 150 sales in our database:
- **Median sale price: $43,000**
- **Average sale price: $45,776**
- **25th percentile: $33,950** (the entry-level market)
- **75th percentile: $54,000** (a good-condition aircraft)
- **Range: from $100 to $999,000** (the extremes reflect damaged aircraft and special variants)
Across 515 Cessna 152 sales:
- **Median sale price: $59,950**
- **Average sale price: $70,864**
- **25th percentile: $39,700**
- **75th percentile: $75,000**
- **Range: $10,000 to $6,000,000** (again, the extremes are outliers)
The practical takeaway: a typical Cessna 150 changes hands around $43,000. A comparable Cessna 152 costs roughly $17,000 more — about 40% of the 150's median price.
That gap matters if you're buying your first aircraft on a tight budget. It matters less if you're a flying club or school where the $17,000 difference is absorbed over years of rental income.
**→ [See current Cessna 150 listings on Sprinkle](https://sprinkle.com/aircraft/for-sale?mid=2376&model=150)**
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## Price by Era
Era matters more for the 150 than the 152, because the 150 was produced from 1958 to 1977 — nearly two decades of variants.
**Cessna 150 median prices by era (our sales data):**
| Era | Sales | Median Price |
|-----|-------|--------------|
| Pre-1966 | 181 | $43,500 |
| 1966–1970 | 707 | $42,500 |
| 1971–1975 | 403 | $44,500 |
| 1976–1977 (150M) | 170 | $45,000 |
Striking: **era barely moves the needle on price**. A well-maintained 1966 150F sells for virtually the same as a 1975 150M. The market prices them on condition and engine time, not year of manufacture.
**Cessna 152 median prices by era:**
| Era | Sales | Median Price |
|-----|-------|--------------|
| 1977–1980 | 384 | $57,500 |
| 1981–1985 | 123 | $61,000 |
The 152 was only built from 1977 to 1985. Later examples command a modest premium, but again the spread is narrow — about $3,500 between eras.
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## The Engine: Continental vs Lycoming
This is the real difference, and it divides the aircraft community.
**Cessna 150: Continental O-200**
- 100 hp
- 1,800-hour TBO
- Carburetted
- Very widely supported, enormous parts network
- A known quantity — millions of flight hours accumulated
**Cessna 152: Lycoming O-235**
- 110 hp (some variants 108 hp)
- 2,000-hour TBO
- Also carburetted
- Strong parts availability, popular engine in other aircraft too
- 200-hour longer TBO than the O-200
The 10 additional horsepower in the 152 makes a real difference: faster climb rate (715 ft/min vs 670 ft/min), slightly better performance at altitude and in warm weather. If you're training in the summer in Texas or Arizona, those extra horses matter.
The 200-hour TBO advantage on the Lycoming is worth money. At $25,000–$35,000 for a typical piston engine overhaul, spreading that cost over 2,000 hours instead of 1,800 saves roughly $1,250–$1,750 per engine life. Not dramatic, but real.
Mechanics have strong opinions here. Continental loyalists cite the O-200's simplicity and track record. Lycoming fans point to the O-235's reliability and TBO. The honest answer: both engines are well-proven and well-supported. Neither is a liability.
**→ [Browse the Cessna 150 price guide](https://sprinkle.com/aircraft/price-guide/cessna-150)**
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## The Airframe: What Changed Between Models
Cessna didn't just swap engines when it introduced the 152 in 1977. Several changes came with it:
**Cockpit and ergonomics**
The 152 got a redesigned instrument panel and improved seating. The 150's cockpit is famously cramped — 39 inches wide, which causes problems for pilots above about 6 feet tall or of larger build. The 152 addressed this somewhat, though it's still not roomy.
**Fuel system**
The 152 was designed around 100LL fuel from the start. The 150 was originally certified for 80/87 octane aviation fuel, which no longer exists at most airports. Running 100LL in a Continental O-200 leads to lead fouling of the spark plugs, a genuine maintenance annoyance. If you own a 150, you'll learn to lean aggressively on the ground.
**Gross weight**
The 152 has a slightly higher gross weight (1,670 lb vs 1,600 lb), which translates to a marginally more useful load. Neither aircraft is particularly practical as a cross-country tourer with two adults and luggage, but the 152 gives you a little more margin.
**Avionics mounts**
This is less a factory difference and more a market reality: 152s tend to be slightly newer and more likely to have been updated with modern avionics. You'll find more 152s with GPS and basic glass displays simply because the airframes are 5–15 years younger. That said, plenty of 150s have been updated too — look at the actual equipment, not the model year.
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## What High Total Time Means for These Aircraft
Average total airframe time across our sold Cessna 150s: **10,871 hours**.
Average total airframe time across our sold Cessna 152s: **15,753 hours**.
These numbers tell you something important: both aircraft accumulate enormous hours in training use, and buyers aren't particularly spooked by high time. A 152 with 15,000 hours on the airframe isn't unusual — what matters is the condition and any structural history, not the raw number.
The engine time matters far more than airframe time on these aircraft. A 150 or 152 with a recently overhauled engine and known history is worth significantly more than one with run-out times on a mystery powerplant.
When you're evaluating any specific aircraft, ask:
- How many hours since engine overhaul (SMOH)?
- Who did the overhaul, and is there paperwork?
- Any history of prop strikes or accident damage?
- Annual inspection status and who did it?
**→ [Find Cessna 152 listings on Sprinkle](https://sprinkle.com/aircraft/for-sale?mid=2375&model=152)**
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## Variants Worth Knowing
**Cessna 150 variants:**
- **150/A (1959–1961)**: Swept tail, the earliest production aircraft. Interesting to collectors.
- **150B–150E (1962–1965)**: Transitional models, still with straight tail on some.
- **150F (1966)**: Swept tail standardised, omni-vision rear window introduced. The 150F is the most common early variant in our data — 145 sales, averaging $41,589.
- **150G–150H (1967–1968)**: Minor refinements. 110 and 149 sales respectively.
- **150J–150K (1969–1970)**: Comm antenna relocated, other small changes.
- **150L (1971–1974)**: Most widely built variant. 144 sales in our data, median $47,740.
- **150M (1975–1977)**: Final production year, conical camber wingtips. 170 sales (combining uppercase variants), avg $53,503.
- **150 Aerobat (A150)**: Aerobatic-certified variant, G-meter and harnesses standard. Sells at a premium — our data shows an average of $68,411 for Aerobat examples.
**Cessna 152 variants:**
- **152 (1977–1982)**: Standard trainer. Bulk of the market.
- **152 Aerobat (A152)**: Aerobatic version, same idea as the A150. Worth more.
- **152 Sparrowhawk**: An STC'd modification by Avcon with a 125 hp engine conversion. Our data shows Sparrowhawk examples averaging $130,000 — a significant premium that reflects their enhanced performance. Three Sparrowhawk sales appear in our recent data at exactly that level.
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## Which One Do Buyers Actually Buy?
The numbers answer this too. We have 1,489 Cessna 150 sales versus 515 Cessna 152 sales — nearly 3:1 in favour of the 150.
This isn't because the 150 is universally considered better. It's partly a production volume issue: approximately 23,000 Cessna 150s were built versus about 7,600 Cessna 152s. The 150 fleet is simply bigger, so more of them trade hands.
But it also reflects the price dynamic. Budget-conscious buyers lean toward the 150 because the entry point ($33,950 at the 25th percentile) is meaningfully lower than the 152 ($39,700). When you're stretching to buy your first aircraft, $5,750 is real money.
We also have 75 buyer alerts set up for these aircraft across our platform — meaning active buyers are watching for listings right now.
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## The Pre-Buy Inspection Is Non-Negotiable
Both aircraft have accumulated decades of training use. Both have been flown by hundreds of student pilots who may have handled them roughly. Both deserve a thorough pre-buy inspection by an independent A&P mechanic — not the seller's mechanic.
For a Cessna 150 or 152, budget $400–$800 for a pre-buy inspection. It's cheap insurance against buying an aircraft with corrosion in the wing spar, a cracked engine mount, or undisclosed damage history.
Specific things to check on these aircraft:
- **Spar corrosion**: These aircraft often sat outside for years at a time. Have the wing spar examinined.
- **Nosewheel shimmy**: A chronic 150/152 complaint. Look at the shimmy damper and nose gear fork.
- **Carburetor heat box**: Cracks in the heat box can allow carbon monoxide into the cabin. Worth a close look.
- **Log book continuity**: Are all annual inspections documented? Any gaps are a red flag.
**→ [Read the Cessna 150 full buyer's guide on Sprinkle](https://sprinkle.com/journal/post/cessna-172-skyhawk-buyers-guide)**
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## Our Verdict
If your budget is under $45,000, the Cessna 150 is probably your aircraft. The selection is larger, the entry price is lower, and the Continental O-200 is a well-proven engine with excellent support.
If your budget stretches to $60,000–$75,000, the Cessna 152 offers a slightly more modern airframe, the Lycoming O-235 with its longer TBO, and marginally better performance. For flying clubs and schools, the 152's incremental advantages in durability and engine economics start to add up at scale.
Either way: buy on condition, not on model year. A meticulously maintained 1968 Cessna 150H with a mid-time engine is a better purchase than a tatty 1981 Cessna 152 with run-out times. The fundamentals — engine health, log book history, structural condition — matter far more than which version of this iconic trainer you end up with.
Both aircraft have introduced more pilots to flying than perhaps any other type in history. Whichever you choose, you're in good company.
**→ [Search all Cessna 150 listings](https://sprinkle.com/aircraft/for-sale?mid=2376&model=150)**
**→ [Search all Cessna 152 listings](https://sprinkle.com/aircraft/for-sale?mid=2375&model=152)**