Leaderboard

The most expensive Mooney's start at 50 grand. The cheapest ones are in the 120-150K range.

I admit that I was looking for a Piper Arrow, back in 1984 when I wound up buying a 1967 M20F. The interesting part is that I still own it. It has, over the years, been upgraded beyond any reasonable resale price, but the airplane has been a joy to fly for almost 30 years, and I feel that the utility that I have received, has been well worth the expense. It is not unusual to see Mooney owners do this. I believe it is because they truly enjoy the way the airplane flies, and the inherent safety of the airframe. This model Mooney provides a great combination of speed, economy, useful load, range, and reliability. After flying one for 29 years, there is not another single engine airplane that I would rather own.

Deleted

Super nice... Super Clean!!! I would be very proud to fly that around anywhere.

I have a small halon in the back of my seat. I mostly hope the plane doesn't catch fire....

I'm preparing to launch an aviation oxygen company using medical suppliers (and priced accordingly- no aviation premium). I'm sorry to say I don't have an oxymizer solution coming any time soon, but it's on my list down the road. I believe the products are available from wholesalers- I just don't have a source yet. I'm assuming you have on board oxygen on your rocket. Based on the research I've done, both the pendant and the mustashe solutions work- it's all personal preference. Whoever you order from, make sure whatever they send you is plug and play with your on board system. The MH EDS system is a more challenging question due primarilly to cost. I have a mountain high EDS system and I really like it. The MH system makes things very easy in that the system auto adjusts for altitude changes- it's idiot proof (so perfect for me). I have the EDS attached to the ceiling interior of my plane giving easy access to O2 at all times which is why I added the EDS. I found a used unit and bought it for ~half price, but they don't show up very often. The EDS is definately a luxury solution and only you can evalute whether it's worth the cost. If you decide to go the EDS route give them a call- they'll walk you through everything you need. In addition to the box, you'll also need a step down regulator to drop the EDS input puressure to 25 PSI. Most oxygen systems operate at 50 PSI. If I were in your shoes, the solution would come down to how much I was flying. If you're flying at oxygen altitudes very little, then it doesn't really matter and you wouldn't have posted here. If you're flying a lot, then go with the EDS- the MH unit will save you a lot of oxygen and you're unlikley to need costly FBO fill-ups. If you're somewhere in the middle go with an oximizer unless you want the luxury of the EDS solution. I suspect you've already made this decision. Shameless sales pitch- regardless of which camp you're in, if you're looking into an oxygen transfilling system (for your on board or portable system) or a portable backup for the built in system we should talk. Scott

Another interesting fact that emerged, in my personal scenario, when I worked through my logbook a while ago. I fly an average of 60 hrs/year and I also analyzed such a year in my logbook. I was stunned when the I found that I fly alone in my Mooney for 92% of the said 60 odd hours flown in one year. I was also looking for reasons to upgrade, because my Mooney became a bit limited (according to me), in terms of load carrying ability. After the above discovery, I just decided to live with the fact that I will drive to some places, maybe two or three times a year. That's also fun, now and then.

I think I would just buy a 201......but that's me. Just sayin'

Over the decades I have bought aircraft from dealers and individuals, and as talked about above, I chose to retain my own representative to aid me for my most recent purchase. In this case Craig, a very successful aviation broker on his own right, also acts on behalf of aircraft seekers- for domestic and overseas buyers. His work is not just looking through ads; he networks with dealers all over the country, as well as chasing individual ads. We spoke almost every day for more than three months culling through available aircraft, and his no bullshit approach and questioning eliminated most potential candidates. There is nothing like a selling broker to see through the exaggeration and misrepresentations that are out there. Like all things, let the buyer beware. Now there are some very good Mooney specialist selling brokers, and certainly AA comes to the top of the list as they only sell top of the line aircraft. I think that if you roll the dice and act for yourself (as I have for more than a few airplanes) understand that you are assuming a considerable capital risk, and that an impartial inspection or examination of the aircraft and logs by a truly knowledgable shop is imperative to your financial well being. There are really good shops (MSCs) in CA and TX that can guide you. There is a saying in the boating world: The best money you will ever spend in your life is for a purchase survey for a boat you decide not to buy. Been there and done that, and it is just as true for aircraft.

Brokers don't work for and don't represent the buyer. As such their priority is not the buyer's interests. Much like the used car salesmen example. This doesn't mean that all used car salesmen or brokers are dishonest. It's just best and simpler to deal directly with the seller. That's my opinion and the point I was making. I agree a potential buyer go with the people recommended on this site as being honest and knowledgeable. I'm simply suggesting that the expertise an honest MSC has to offer is, imo, invaluable and their opinion objective. A lot more objective and therefore, valuable to a buyer, than a broker's opinion. From personal experience I recommend Dugosh. Mr. Kramer and his team are the epitome of honesty and expertise in a MSC. Up here we are blessed to have Dorn at Weber and Dave at AirMods. Equally excellent and honest Mooney experts.There are others around the country. MSCs see a lot of Mooneys and know the owners' (sellers') philosophy and habits towards maintenance. This is extremely valuable info regarding a plane that may be coming up for sale.

Just about as brilliant as damaging the propeller if you use it to move your plane around.

It really comes down to the involvement of the aircraft owner and the quality of the mechanics the shop uses. I took my 231 to a MSC for its prebuy, during which they gave me a list of minor squawks and fixed the "big ticket" items, but after taking it home and to a local shop (which is not a MSC) for some followup work, they found massive issues that the MSC missed (and some even caused by them). Just because they have MSC next to their name does not make them the end all be all in terms of maintenance. Find someone you trust and go with them. This was the first prepurchase that I have gone through where I was not able to be present 100% of the time, and I will never make that mistake again. I would rather go to a mechanic that I have known and trusted for years who may not be as well versed in Mooneys than go to a shop out of the blue (especially not near your home) that probably doesn't care about you, just your money.

I tried that on a blind date. Turned out she was a pilot too and she didnt buy the bullshit, but she did buy in on the shallow character. I married her a year later and we bought a Mooney 201.

Define you mission first. Where you plan on flying, what type of flying VFR/IFR, how long of trips, how many people how much baggage. Sounds like you may have done that already since you keep coming back to the same manufacturer and type.<br /><br />Secondly define what you want in it avionics paint speed mods etc. Like one of the other posts get as much as you want in the plane up front it is cheaper and easier than modifying it yourself. Myself I found both of my planes in several months each. My first plane I did not know very much but I was looking for something that I could get into the air with and I found a 1964 E model. My second plane with more knowledge and IFR rating changed some of the things I was looking for. I put looks last because at 10k feet no one on the ground can see what shape the paint is in. I have avionics at the top since that is what I use to fly the plane and what I interface with the most. In the end all have to come together with compromises in each catagory.<br /><br />1. Avionics<br />2. Mechanical condition<br />3. looks<br />

I purchased mine 2 years ago. Here are the parameters that I found affect price the most. 1: Avionics. 2: General Condition 3; Engine Time 4 Total Time 5: WHat the owner thinks he needs to sell it. Sometimes 5 becomes number 1. My plane was on the market for about 6 months at 10k more than what I paid. He slowly dropped the price and then I made a take it or leave it offer with reasons. He took it. My requirements were quite strict, must be within 2 hrs flight time, and E or F and GPS with Autopilot. Took me about 8 months to find my plane. BILL

ASEI,Inc repairs spinners and may be able to repair yours. 404-5591946