The WWII Fighter Plane That Pawn Stars Almost Paid A Fortune To Buy

Some of the most exciting moments on History Channel's Pawn Stars are when the guys over at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop get to check out expensive aircraft. It's even better when the aircraft in question is a World War II fighter plane. That's exactly what Corey and Rick Harrison get to take a look at in season 6, episode 3, "Wild Thing."

Although Chumlee finds the plane online, Corey and Rick have been talking about getting their pilot's license, so this purchase might be the perfect opportunity to get started on that hobby.

"I bet I could do a pretty good job of crashing this thing," Corey jokes when he first sees the plane.

The plane itself looks to be in excellent condition, but the Harrisons can be some stubborn people when it comes to money. They call in an expert to take a test drive, but there's still something about the plane that has the Harrisons hesitant to pull the trigger. 

This plane, a 1942 North American AT-6 Texas, flew and fought in both World War II and the Korean War. Although the plane was never hit with a bullet, the seller tells the Harrisons he was a gunnery trainer and had a gun mounted on the plane's wing. The plane is also equipped with a nine-cylinder 650 horsepower engine that can reach speeds of up to 210 mph.

Once Corey gets into the cockpit and gets a better feel for what they guys are getting themselves into, they bring in an expert to figure out how much this plane is worth. Before that happens, the asking price is revealed: $185,000.

The guys bring in Matthew Shortal, an aviation pilot who has over 18 years of experience with flying and quickly hops in the cockpit to check everything out.

After Matt inspects the exterior and interior of the plane, as well as the logbooks, they're ready to take to the skies. The aircraft performs very well, and it handles some aerobatics, loops, and barrel rolls while the Pawn Stars duo observes from the ground.

Once the guys are all back together, it's time to get down to business. In its current condition and considering where the market is currently, Matt gives his estimate: $170,000. This isn't that far off from the asking price, which makes the seller optimistic.

Unfortunately for him, the Pawn Stars know exactly what kind of questions to ask. Corey starts with how much it would cost to own one of these things. Matt explains that the first thing you need is a hangar, which costs about $300 a month, then you've got to include lubrication, fuel, maintenance, and other costs. Corey figures it would cost about a grand to own it before selling it.

The Harrisons have their doubts about this WWII-era purchase, and they even admitted they came out to see it on a whim. The seller drops down to $165,000. On another whim, Rick counteroffers at $140,000 and does not budge. In classic fashion, the seller tries one more desperate attempt to convince the guys to up the price, possibly to $157,000. Once again, Rick does not budge. After the seller drops down to $145,000, Corey steps in and tells the man he will do some research to see if the price is worth it, but he ultimately stands at $140,000.

Although the guys weren't able to make a deal this time around, they still manage to poke fun at Chumlee and the Old Man.

"I'm bummed we got that close and couldn't make a deal," Rick says. "But I'm glad it was me and Corey that got to check out the plane. If we had sent Chum and the old man, they would have wasted the whole day playing around."