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Cessna 185

47 for sale, 25 with a US-dollar asking price. Asking prices, not sales.

What does a Cessna 185 ask?

$286,000 is the median of 25 US-dollar asking prices; the middle half ask $249,000–$323,979.

47 for sale now. Asking prices, not sales.

How far does a Cessna 185 fly?

Across its 8 catalog variants, book ranges run 700–700 nm; the 185 flies furthest, about 4 h 50 min at 145 kt.

Still air, no reserves; catalog confidence medium.

What does a Cessna 185 cost to keep?

It depends on how you fly it and where you keep it, so Sprinkle doesn’t give one figure. Work it out on your own numbers.

Go to the cost calculator →

Asking price by year built

Each dot is one aircraft's asking price; the line is each year's median, the band its low–high. 1974–1976: 12 for sale, 10 priced.

1974–1976$150k$200k$250k$300k$350k$400k19611968197519821969: $350,0001974: $395,0001974: $275,0001974: $195,5001973: $299,0001973: $299,0001973: $295,0001976: $315,0001976: $220,0001976: $286,0001967: $275,0001967: $288,0001975: $325,0001975: $219,0001975: $249,0001975: $340,0001970: $279,0001970: $399,9001962: $150,0001962: $160,0001979: $323,9791979: $285,0001961: $230,0001985: $275,0001978: $370,000
The figures by year
YearFor salePricedMedian askLow–high
196111—$230,000–$230,000
196222—$150,000–$160,000
196722—$275,000–$288,000
196810——
196911—$350,000–$350,000
197022—$279,000–$399,900
197383—$295,000–$299,000
197443—$195,500–$395,000
197544—$219,000–$340,000
197643—$220,000–$315,000
197720——
197861—$370,000–$370,000
197932—$285,000–$323,979
198050——
198210——
198511—$275,000–$275,000

Medians from 5 priced aircraft up. Asks outside 0.6–1.6× their year's median are left out.

Recently listed

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Range by variant

Book ranges from the catalog: still air, full fuel, no reserves, at the confidence shown. Plan with your own numbers.

  • 185
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 185A
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 185B
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 185C
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • 185D
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · high confidence
  • 185E
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · high confidence
  • A185E
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · medium confidence
  • A185F
    700 nm · 145 kt cruise · low confidence

The Cessna 185 in brief

47 Cessna 185 listings are for sale across the sites Sprinkle reads as of Nov 12, 2026, built 1961–1985.

The middle half were built 1973–1978.

How the Cessna 185 performs

By the catalog, the fastest variant cruises at 145 knots.

The longest book range across its variants is 700 nautical miles: still air, no reserves.

It seats up to 5 passengers.

Buying a Cessna 185

The middle half of US-dollar asks run $249,000–$323,979, around a median of $286,000, from 25 priced listings. Asking prices, not sales.

The middle half of those that publish airframe time show 2,320–6,602 hours, from 37 listings.

Before an offer, check

  • A pre-buy inspection by a mechanic who knows the type, chosen by you, not the seller.
  • Complete logbooks for the airframe, engines and propellers, with any gaps explained.
  • Damage history and any repairs, against the logbooks and the registry record.
  • Engine time against the overhaul interval, and the shop that did the last overhaul.
  • Airworthiness directives and service bulletins: which apply, and how each was closed.

Figures from the listings Sprinkle reads, read Nov 12, 2026. A market read from asking prices, not an appraisal.

About the Cessna 185

Manufacturer
Cessna, United States
Category
Piston airplane
Variants in the catalog
8: 185, 185A, 185B, 185C, 185D, 185E, A185E, A185F
Passengers, at most
5
700 nm
Cruise speed, fastest
145 kt
18,000 ft
1,500 kg (3,307 lb)
FAA

From Sprinkle's aircraft catalog. Figures are the highest across the model's variants.

The Cessna 185 fleet

Registered fleet
2,451
Median age
51 years
Registration changes, past 12 months
79
Most built in the
1970s

From the national aircraft registers Sprinkle reads. Read Nov 12, 2026.

Cessna 185 type certificates

185 FAA 3A24
approved Jan 31, 1961 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). · MTOW 1,451 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-470-F · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
185A FAA 3A24
approved Sep 20, 1961 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). · MTOW 1,451 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-470-F · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
185B FAA 3A24
approved Jun 25, 1962 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). · MTOW 1,451 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-470-F · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
185C FAA 3A24
approved Jul 19, 1963 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). · MTOW 1,451 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-470-F · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
185D FAA 3A24
approved Jun 17, 1964 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). · MTOW 1,451 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-470-F · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
A185E FAA 3A24
approved Sep 24, 1965 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). In addition, effective S/N 18502300, 18503684 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-6 for S/N 18502300, 18503459 and on. Part 21.25 of the Federal Aviation Regulations dated February 1, 1965, (Restricted Category). In addition, effective S/N 18504425 and on, FAR 23.1545(a) of Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,521 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-520-D · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
185E FAA 3A24
approved Sep 24, 1965 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). · MTOW 1,500 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-470-F · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)
A185F FAA 3A24
approved Oct 6, 1972 · Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations effective May 15, 1956, as amended by 3-1 through 3-5 (Normal Category). In addition, effective S/N 18502300, 18503684 and on, FAR 23.1559 effective March 1, 1978. FAR 36 dated December 1, 1969, plus Amendments 36-1 through 36-6 for S/N 18502300, 18503459 and on. Part 21.25 of the Federal Aviation Regulations dated February 1, 1965, (Restricted Category). In addition, effective S/N 18504425 and on, FAR 23.1545(a) of Amendment 23-23 dated December 1, 1978. · MTOW 1,521 kg · 5 passengers · Continental IO-520-D · Type certificate data sheet (opens in a new tab)

From the regulators' type-certificate data sheets. Figures shown only where the reading is high-confidence.

Cessna 185 manuals and documents

The 16 most useful of 54 documents in Sprinkle’s library for this model. PDFs open from Sprinkle’s own files.

What one would cost to fly

Put in your own figures; the totals update as you type.

Flying
Overhaul cost over hours to overhaul
Fixed
Databases, subscriptions, cleaning
Buying
The median of 25 US-dollar asking prices for this model: replace it with your offer.
Borrowed: $228,800
A year at these figures
$49,052
A month
$4,088
A flight hour, all in
$491
Flying (fuel and reserve)
$10,300
Fixed
$13,300
Loan
$25,452

Fields marked Typical hold a rule-of-thumb figure for a piston airplane: an assumption, not Sprinkle's data. Replace them with your own.

Not a quote: Sprinkle doesn't hold insurance, hangar or maintenance costs. Asking prices, not sales.

From the listings Sprinkle reads for this model. Read Nov 12, 2026.