Beechcraft Baron Buyer's Guide: Choosing a 55, 58, 58P/58TC or G58
For multi-engine pilots, and pilots about to become one, deciding whether a Baron is the right twin and which of its six decades to buy.
The Beechcraft Baron is a six-seat, retractable-gear piston twin built since 1961. The family splits into the short-body 55 series, the stretched Baron 58 with double rear doors, the turbocharged 58TC and pressurized 58P, and the Garmin G1000 G58. This guide covers which one fits your mission, what to inspect, what insurers and lenders will ask, and what the loan looks like at September 2026 rates.
Is a Baron the right twin for you?
| A Baron fits if you… | Look elsewhere if you… |
|---|---|
| Regularly carry four or five people 300 nm or more, often over water, terrain or at night | Mostly fly one or two people: a Bonanza gives much of the speed on one engine |
| Are multi-engine rated, or committed to the rating plus Baron-specific training and yearly recurrent | Want a first twin to build multi time cheaply: a Duchess costs less to buy and run |
| Want a 58's club seating and double rear doors for passengers and bags | Need the most cabin per dollar in a twin: compare the Piper Seneca |
| Can budget for two overhauls, two propellers and twelve cylinders | Can't absorb a surprise five-figure engine bill without selling the airplane |
Moving up from a single? The Bonanza to Baron upgrade guide covers the multi-engine rating, twin insurance and financing the step. For speed, AvWeb's Baron guide cites about 190 knots on 27 gph for a 260-hp 55, with owners reporting 22 to 29 gph in cruise (AvWeb).
Which Baron models matter to a buyer?
| Model | Years | Engines and what's different |
|---|---|---|
| 95-55, A55, B55 | 1961-1982 (B55 from 1964) | Two 260-hp Continental IO-470-L. Short body; the B55 is the most common 55. No rear door, so third-row access is awkward, and six-seat loads can run aft of the CG limit. |
| C55, D55, E55 | 1966-1982 | Two 285-hp IO-520-C and a longer nose for baggage. Larger interconnected fuel tanks became an E55 option in 1976. |
| 56TC | Late 1960s | Turbocharged 380-hp Lycoming TIO-541s; 82 sold. Rare; confirm engine and parts support before you commit. |
| 58 | 1970-2004 | 10-inch fuselage stretch, double rear doors, reversible club seats. 285-hp IO-520-C, later 300-hp IO-550-C. |
| 58TC | 1976-1984 | Turbocharged TSIO-520s, unpressurized. Altitude on oxygen. |
| 58P | 1976-1985 | Turbocharged and pressurized; 495 built. Adds pressure-vessel, door-seal and valve items to every annual. |
| G58 | 2005 on | Garmin G1000 glass, IO-550-C engines, refreshed cabin. Textron plans to end production once current orders are filled. |
Sources: Wikipedia (Beechcraft Baron); production end: AOPA, November 21, 2025.
Decision rule: for most first-time Baron owners the 58 is the default. The rear doors and club seats make all six seats usable, and 1970-or-newer build years fit the twin-lending guideline. A B55 or E55 saves money if you mostly fly four people, but check the build year early, because many 55s predate 1970. Buy a 58P or 58TC only if you'll use the altitude; the turbos and pressurization add real maintenance. A G58 buys a newer airframe and an integrated panel at three to four times the price of a good 1970s 58. Annual budgets for each are compared on the Baron 55 vs 58 vs G58 cost page, with deeper pages for the Baron 55 and G58.
What does a Baron cost to buy and finance?
On Controller.com in September 2026, 1970-1981 Baron 58s asked about $149,000 to $575,000, most between $165,000 and $450,000. The 1990-2000 58s asked about $390,000 to $749,000, 58Ps about $239,000 to $664,000, and the two priced 58TCs about $195,000 to $215,000. 2011-2017 G58s asked about $1,075,000 to $1,299,900, and several G58s were "call for price". The handful of priced 55-series listings ran about $145,000 to $395,000. These are asking prices from small samples; verify with Vref or Aircraft Bluebook. For any remaining new G58s, contact Textron Aviation.
Twins are financed differently from singles. AOPA's lenders ask for 15% to 30% down on multi-engine aircraft depending on age, offer maximum terms of 10 to 15 years, and want twins built in 1970 or later, with possible exceptions (AOPA Aviation Finance). As of September 2026, piston loan rates generally start around 7% and run to about 10%, depending on credit, aircraft age, loan size and down payment. The examples use an illustrative 7.75%.
| Example | Price | Down | Loan | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 B55 (pre-1970 twin; assume 30% down, 10 years) | $180,000 | 30%: $54,000 | $126,000 | $1,512/mo over 10 years |
| 1976 Baron 58 | $300,000 | 20%: $60,000 | $240,000 | $2,880/mo over 10 years; $2,259/mo over 15 years |
| 2014 G58 | $1,150,000 | 20%: $230,000 | $920,000 | $8,660/mo over 15 years |
| Term | 6.99% APR | 7.75% APR | 9.99% APR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 years (120 mo) | $2,785/mo | $2,880/mo | $3,170/mo |
| 15 years (180 mo) | $2,156/mo | $2,259/mo | $2,578/mo |
Loan amount $240,000. Principal and interest only; excludes insurance, taxes and fees. Illustrative, not a quote.
Fuel is the other number to keep in view while you shop. At an assumed 30 gph for both engines and the AirNav national 100LL average of $7.24/gal (September 2026), fuel alone is about $217 an hour. The full annual budget, with two engine reserves, is on the Baron cost-of-ownership page.
Pricing a Baron?
Send the year, model and asking price. A financing specialist will come back with twin-loan terms, down payment and rate options from lenders in our network.
What should you inspect on a used Baron?
Everything on a single-engine pre-buy applies twice. Add these Baron-specific items to the general pre-buy inspection checklist, and use a shop that works on Beech twins regularly.
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Both engines | Compressions and borescope on all twelve cylinders, oil-analysis trends and engine-monitor data. Compare time since overhaul with Continental's SIL98-9: 1,500 or 1,700 hours for the IO-470-L and 1,700 or 1,900 hours for the IO-520-C and IO-550-C, depending on serial number, with a 12-year calendar limit. One fresh engine and one run-out engine is a price negotiation, not a bargain. See SMOH vs TBO. |
| Turbo and pressurization (58TC, 58P, 56TC) | Turbochargers, wastegates, exhaust slip joints and cracks. Continental lists a 1,400-hour TBO for the TSIO-520-L. On a 58P, check the door seal, outflow and safety valves and the cabin leak rate. |
| Fuel system | Rubber fuel cells in the wings: age, cracking, leaks and fuel odor in the cabin or wing. Fuel selector operation, sump drains and caps. Know whether the airplane has the standard, optional or interconnected tank setup. |
| Structure and AD items | AvWeb's 55-series guide lists ADs on wing forward-spar carry-through cracks, engine-mount cracks and elevator components (AvWeb). Confirm which apply to your serial number, and inspect spar, attach fittings and belly skins for corrosion. |
| Landing gear | Gear motor and gearbox, rod ends, uplocks and doors, with a full gear swing on jacks. Ask directly about gear-up or prop-strike history; a prop strike means engine inspection per Continental's guidance. |
| Cabin heater | Barons typically use a fuel-fired combustion heater. Check its inspection records against the manufacturer's requirements and any applicable AD, and fit a CO detector. |
| Cockpit layout | Older Beech airplanes put the gear and flap switches in a non-standard arrangement, which AvWeb links to inadvertent gear retractions. Know which layout you're buying and train on it. |
| Propellers and ice protection | Overhaul dates and AD compliance for both props; condition of prop and wing de-ice equipment if installed. Don't assume an airplane with boots is certified for known icing. |
| Avionics | Autopilot type and service history, ADS-B Out, and on a G58 the G1000 software level and any NXi upgrade. |
Have your mechanic run a full AD search on the airframe, both engines and both propellers, and review Form 337s and damage history. See reading aircraft logbooks. Lenders will also look at logbook completeness; see aircraft loan requirements.
What does it take to fly and insure a Baron?
You need a multi-engine class rating, and because the Baron has retractable gear, controllable-pitch props and engines over 200 hp, complex and high-performance endorsements under 14 CFR 61.31 if you don't already hold them. There's no verified 2026 Baron premium benchmark, and the spread between pilots is wide. Underwriters focus on multi-engine time, time in type, an instrument rating and recurrent training, and they price the hull value. A newly rated twin pilot is commonly asked to fly dual in the Baron before solo. BWI reported in May 2026 that pricing for experienced private pilots of personal-use pistons is "generally stable" (BWI).
Lenders require hull coverage for at least the loan balance with the lender as loss payee; see aircraft loan insurance requirements. With six seats, set liability limits for a full cabin, not the lender's minimum.
First-year ownership notes for a new Baron owner
- Get Baron-specific initial training from an instructor who teaches in Beech twins, including engine-out work at a safe altitude, then schedule recurrent every year.
- Set up two engine reserves and a propeller reserve from the first month; the cost pages above show the per-hour figures.
- Keep the pre-buy shop for the first annual so the squawk list carries over.
- Watch both engines with a monitor. If the airplane lacks a two-engine monitor, price one early.
- Register the airplane. Registration is valid for seven years and costs $5; the temporary "pink copy" works only within the U.S. until the certificate arrives. See the FAA registration guide.
How this guide differs from related guides
This page covers the Baron buying decision. Specifications and generated payment examples are on the Beechcraft Baron 58 page. Annual budgets are on the Baron cost-of-ownership pages. For the step up to a Baron, see Bonanza to Baron; for the next step, see Baron to King Air. For lender requirements on any airplane, see aircraft loan requirements.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a used Beechcraft Baron cost?
Asking prices on Controller.com in September 2026 ran about $145,000 to $395,000 for 55-series Barons, mostly $165,000 to $450,000 for 1970-1981 Baron 58s, about $390,000 to $749,000 for 1990-2000 58s, and about $1.08 million to $1.3 million for 2011-2017 G58s. Engine times on both sides move price more than the year. Verify with Vref or Aircraft Bluebook.
Should I buy a Baron 55 or a Baron 58?
Buy a 58 if you'll regularly use more than four seats. Its 10-inch longer cabin, double rear doors and club seating make the back row usable, and 58s date from 1970 on, which fits AOPA's twin-lending guideline. A B55 or E55 costs less and flies similarly, but third-row access is awkward, loading can run aft of limits, and many were built before 1970.
What do I need to fly and insure a Baron?
You need a multi-engine class rating, plus complex and high-performance endorsements if you do not already hold them. Insurers look hardest at multi-engine time, time in type, an instrument rating and recurrent training, and a newly rated twin pilot is commonly asked to fly dual in the airplane before flying it solo. Get a quote on the specific airplane before you sign a purchase agreement.
What loan terms can I get on a Baron?
Twins are financed on shorter terms than singles. AOPA's lenders ask for 15% to 30% down depending on age, cap terms at 10 to 15 years and prefer twins built in 1970 or later. A $300,000 1976 Baron 58 with 20% down is a $240,000 loan: about $2,259 a month over 15 years at an illustrative 7.75%, principal and interest only.
Is Beechcraft still building the Baron?
Not for much longer. In November 2025 Textron Aviation said it would end production of the Baron G58 and Bonanza G36 once current orders are filled, according to AOPA. The company said parts and engineering support for the existing fleet will continue. Recent new-Baron deliveries were in the single digits per year, so almost every buyer is shopping the used market.
What's the difference between a Baron 58P and a 58TC?
Both are 1970s-1980s Baron 58 variants with turbocharged Continental TSIO-520 engines. The 58P (1976-1985) adds a pressurized cabin; the 58TC (1976-1984) is turbocharged but unpressurized, so you fly high on oxygen. Both add turbocharger, exhaust and, on the 58P, pressurization maintenance, and Continental lists a shorter 1,400-hour TBO for the TSIO-520-L than for the normally aspirated engines.
Can I depreciate a Baron used for business?
Possibly. Under the 2025 tax law, 100% bonus depreciation is permanent for qualifying aircraft acquired after January 19, 2025, and Section 179 allows up to $2,560,000 for tax years beginning in 2026. Both generally require more than 50% qualified business use, documented in flight logs, and personal-use rules are strict. Confirm your situation with a CPA or aviation tax attorney.
Last reviewed September 28, 2026. Rates and rules change; see our editorial standards.