Has anyone swapped their Avidyne Entegra and Garmin 430s to the Garmin G500 with GTN650s? It is pricey to say the least but curious if it is worth it?
I know I won’t get dollar for dollar but will I get some value back when I sell?
07’ SR22T Avidyne Entegra w/dual 430W
See this thread. This thread is member specific, not a guest question. Please move it to the member side.
https://forum.cirruspilots.org/t/garmin-g500-txi-total-conversion-long/98451
I have been toying with the same idea for a few months now. The way I understand it is that you will normally recoup around 50%, so 50k of the 100k install.
My concerns are:
the NA g5 has come down quite a bit in price. They are offered now for 500k. So they sell for 475? An upgraded G2 comes to around 400-460k. The delta between the two isn’t that big anymore. For the extra amount you get a 2013 aircraft with GFC700, higher flap speeds, more useful load, etc. So is there going to be a market for G500 upgraded G2’s? Or will it be a small niche market? Look at the amazing upgraded G2 by Nexair with G500’s, 650’s etc. It has been on the market for quite a while. It’s currently listed for 460K. It’s an amazing aircraft but no takers so far.
What if Cirrus releases a NXI upgrade program for Perspective birds in 2 or 3 years (when Cirrus releases a G2000 based G7) Based on other upgrade programs the pricing should be somewhere between 28 - 50k. That a lot less expensive than the upgrade to G500’s. An upgraded G3 or G5 will actually then be “cheaper” than the G500 upgraded ones.
On the other hand you only live once and there will always be new technology around the corner. I absolutely love the g500 TXI + 750/650 combo. I feel it’s much more user friendly than G1000’s and it seems Garmin releases updates at least 2 per year.
Michael,
Great point about when (if) Cirrus releases an NXi upgrade program. The cost of that plus a G5 bird vs a G2 upgraded may be too small to make it worth considering the G2. That said, if you want one now…
Michael,
What Autopilot do you have with your G500 Txi/GTN750/GTN650?
I have the Avidyne DFC90 and it is working great with the GTN 750/650. I absolutely agree that the GTN750 is easier to use than a G1000.
I am told that, if I put in G500 Txi with the DFC90, I will loose Altitude preselect (and also something about the VS bug; I seemed to Zone Out when I thought about loosing Alt PS).
Has anyone sold a used Avidyne Entegra R8.1/DFC90 combo lately; that might soften the $$ blow of a GFC500 with the GI-275 and the other required interface parts.
Does the Garmin GCU 485 Controller with the Garmin GAD-43e interface work with the G500 Txi/DFC90 to give all the functions needed including ALT PS and VS/HDG/ALT bug settings.
I would be grateful for any inputs.
That seems high. For example, there’s one on the Aerista website right now at $339K, and that’s just one example. So I think that the delta is significantly larger.
That one still has avidyne pfd/mfd. I think his comment is around a txi panel upgrade plus 750/650 install
OK, got it. So correct me (again) if I’m wrong, but the G2 upgrade to a “dream panel” with the same PFD/MFD is around $50K, while the TXi upgrade with two screens, new Garmin AP, two GPS navigators, and GI 275 (one or two?) is closer to $150K. Have I got that right? Then you’ve got a narrower delta to a G5 with other associated incremental improvements (e.g. FIKI), and Perspective which is TC’d to the airframe.
Except the g5 has a 5th seat!
Well that’s some of what I meant by “other associated incremental improvements”.
If money was no object, it might be a tough choice between the two upgrades (TXi v G5). Alas, more likely to be a garden variety “dream panel” for me, unless a G3X option comes along…
Cheers,
M
Would a G3 Avidyne upgraded to a G500 TXi versus a Perspective G3 be a better cost comparison?
I would guess someone has a good estimate for the premium Perspective yields in a G3. It appears less than $150k.
I would ask your shop to look again or bring it here where we have done 7 now.
Dave
NexAir Avionics
Pretty close for sure. I would also love to see where you are finding G5s for $500K, I have buyers. Also remember that G5 still has G1000 and not NXi. It does make a difference to some.
Dave
NexAir Avionics
Dave, I think we’re talking round numbers, but the point is there. The G2 with TXi, fully refurbished paint etc gets you a lot closer to a used G5 or G6. It’s no longer a 300K vs 500-700K argument. Not saying the G2 still isn’t cheaper but there are also things like UL, Fiki etc that can’t be retrofitted.
At the end of the day it makes life more fun for buyers - more choices at different price points.
Yes it does for sure. Mission - Budget - Technology. Everyone has different values that they assign to those categories. We all want more choices so we can make decisions based on what we value.
Still would like to see a G5 for $500K 
Dave
NexAir Avionics
Not my number.
The year 2035