Flying a Bellanca 17-31A that he had purchased the day before, the pilot attempted an IFR (instrument flight rules) landing in stormy weather with a Certified Flight Instructor. At 11:21 pm contact was lost with the plane, which had crashed done in a densely wooded area. Inside the aircraft was a safety inspection check-list required by the sales contract that indicted the following problems:VOR (Very high frequency Omnidirectional Range) unreliable; compass calibration needed; fuel gauges unreliable; equipment not recertified for the past 5 years. NTSB cause:Improper procedure, adverse weather, below altitude, operation with known deficiencies in equipment, poor judgement (pilot). Contributing factors:Tree