Get an eye-watering proposal for the installation of a new IFR navigator and thoughts might turn to sourcing a used one. For some, that isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but it isn’t exactly easy, either.
That’s because there aren’t a lot of choices that we think make sense, mainly because of support—or lack of. The good news is that it’s obvious that the used avionics market is loosening up compared to what it was a year or two ago when the supply chain was tanked.
For this short follow-up report we recently went shopping for used navigators and some of the accessories you might need to have them installed. Here’s what we found.
Plenty of Garmin GNS
For years, the Garmin GNS 430 and GNS 530 series navigators have been sought after on the used market and later-production WAAS versions have held their resale value impressively well for an aging, relatively stark rig, at least compared to modern-day tech. But that seems to be changing and we think it’s because of support concerns.
As we’ve reported, the $1979 flat-rate repair cost for a GNS 430W and $2410 for the GNS 530W is right at a threshold that might not make sense for a unit of its vintage, especially one with questionable future parts support. Recall that back in January of 2024, Garmin issued Revision B to its Service Advisory 23018, stating that effective immediately, display repairs for the WAAS and non-WAAS 400-series navigators are no longer available and have been discontinued.
Garmin said other repairs (not related to the display module) will continue, but it’s not clear for how long that will be. If you’re considering a clean GNS navigator (and that should be one that has WAAS capability—not all do) you need to understand that you’re buying into old tech. This is from the late 1990s, where displays were pretty utilitarian and internal memory was a lot smaller than it is now.
When we went shopping we found a variety of GNS navigators for the taking. One was a GNS 530W advertised to be in working condition when it was removed during an upgrade and included the unit, mounting track and the main electrical connectors. At $3999, we call it a fair deal, but it’s sold as is with no returns. Another was priced at $5100 with a new display lens.
As we’ve always warned, it’s important to consider the flat-rate repair costs for a factory repair. Buy something for $4000 this month and next month you could be spending a couple thousand dollars for a trip to the factory. Add it all up and you could be spending more than the cost of a new model. We strongly suggest working with a trusted avionics shop so they can backstop the sale, make sure the unit comes with everything they need to install it (including the GPS antenna—something that isn’t always included) and to provide a proposal for a new unit for comparison. In the case of the GNS 530W, the factory flat-rate repair cost is $2410. Garmin’s current touchscreen GNC 355 IFR GPS/comm has a list price of $7895.
As for the GNS 430 series (with the unsupported display), if it goes back for repair and Garmin finds that the unit has a faulty display, it charges a $500 assessment/handling fee to return the unit back to the customer, unrepaired. Still, for units that aren’t repairable, the company might offer $650 credit for it against a new unit.
If we had to pick a preference for a vintage used GPS, we might go with a well-cared-for GNS 530W, but understand that it may not be a long-term solution because of support. We found plenty of them priced at or around the $5000 point. Again, get a quote for at least the Garmin GTN 650Xi. It’s comparable in that it has a VHF comm radio and VOR/ILS receiver. The GTN 650 series has a smaller display, of course, but we think it’s far superior in quality to the one on the larger and utilitarian GNS 530.
Don’t forget the GPS antenna. Aircraft Spruce and others sell the TSO’d Garmin GA 35 WAAS antenna for around $325. There’s also the nav indicator that you’ll need for displaying the course guidance. This can cost a couple thousand dollars, on top of the price of the GPS, and makes it worth pricing a budget EFIS. We’ll look at the budget EFIS market in an upcoming report.
What about salvaged units?
Sure, you’ll find plenty of used avionics that were salvaged from wrecks—including late-model GPS navigators. There are plenty of established and respected salvage dealers that have made a good business selling used avionics. But again, ask if the unit has been back to the factory for eval or repair. Avidyne, as an example, won’t work on a unit that has been in a documented wreck, so consider if you’ll have factory support on the unit because eventually, you’ll need it.
