914 pre-buy

What airframe?

One thing to be sure is to make sure that the gearbox inspections have been complete.  I have a 914 and the previous owner skipped the gearbox inspection and had to have it rebuilt. 

For me at least, the engine logs will tell you a lot! 

Other might have more specs but I’m assuming things like a compression check, etc would be a worthy next step.  

No expert but I would assume:

A maintenance record, that demonstrated timely/comprehensive attention, using quality materials  - all as per Rotax advice,  would if available attract a premium price . If not available/incomplete/unsatisfactory might, at the very least,  be cause for a massive price reduction OR a walk away situation.

Part of the above woulds also be a record of leak-down and compression testing throughout the engines service life, showing an acceptable aging/wear history.

Incidents (eg prop strike) should be accurately recorded and any findings/repairs documented.

Repairs (eg Sprag Clutch) should be recorded in detail.

If you are not reasonably knowledgeable in this engine - find someone who is. They should know what to look for and be able to advise you accordingly. This is where money can be very well spent.

This is why good documentation is important and for your liability too. 

https://www.rotax-owner.com/en/rotax-blog/item/22-good-documentation-its-everything

Documentation is great, but it's not Truth with a capital T. The truth comes through inspection the day of purchase, looking for whatever things are unique to Rotax. For instance, I understand that because the Rotax is a sealed engine, it's highly improbable that there be internal corrosion. So worrying about crankshaft corrosion is less a thing than with Lycoming.

I'd love if there were a list of concrete things to look for. I will be there with an experienced Rotax mechanic, however it's my purchase not his, so reaching out to the hive mind for information is useful. I have no way of knowing if this independent mechanic is a seasoned expert in 914 or if he's seen them a handful of times. I know what someone can tell me, but when it's my money and my butt on the line I like to trust but verify.

It's also useful to document this for future readers. One thing Rotax seems to suffer from, as opposed to Lycoming or Continental, is keeping tribal knowledge locked up inside mechanics' heads instead of written down where the public can read it. 

Don't know about the USA but here in Australia it is considered very bad form (even illegal) to falsify a maintenance/service/repair record.

This does not mean all aircraft & engines have an equally high standard of record keeping - one aircraft, I nearly purchased, had boxes of records covering every little detail of the aircraft/engine history. The next, well lets say it was far more economical when it came to record keeping. The one I finally purchased, had a comprehensive photographic records (of build) supported by purchase invoices but not much else.

My point is most people understand that falsifying a record can get you in to very hot legal water, so its not common.

I would assume your professional (paid for  Rotax advisor must believe he has the experience/knowledge of the 914 for him to agreed to advise you - if he doesn't and the quality of his advise leads you to make a bad decision, he may be liable.

This Forum is a place where the information is "written down where the public read it"