The good news for buyers who can’t afford the eye-popping price of a brand-new Cirrus is the healthy supply of used ones for sale. For as little as $100,000, you might score a first-generation G1 SR22. That’s no chump change, and to be sure, an early SR22 might seem stark compared to the current G5 series. But for an owner stepping up from a Cherokee or Skyhawk, for example, an SR22 will be a major leap ahead in speed, technology and mission capability.
Since Cirrus Design first morphed from a quirky kit supplier to a full-blown aircraft manufacturer in 1998, it has consistently proven that it got the vision thing right. The entry-level SR20 and flagship SR22 in their various iterations have proven hot sellers and good performers, with unusually loyal customers. This seems the perfect setup as the company moves closer to delivering its seven-seat, single-engine Vision SF50 personal jet—a logical step up from an SR22.