manoflamancha

Well I could either buy a Ferrari or a fast Mooney. The Mooney wins easy choice in my book. Plus I already have a fast car that's paid for and cannot use the full speed. A Mooney on the other hand well now I can really use the speed!

Or you can fly a Mooney at 55% power save on fuel and fly as fast as those new expensive plastic airplanes

How much are first gen Ovations selling for these days? Last I checked they were 200-250K but prices may have come down since then.

Indeed between Bravos, Rockets, 252 and Ovations few can touch the Mooney. Plus I'm not sold on composite plastic aircraft like Cirrus and the Cessna 400 in terms of durability. Buying a well maintained high performance Mooney leaves a lot of cash left over to pay for fuel and training.

So I'm at local FBO looking to get checked out by a CFI in their Mooney 252 and had a friendly chat with a young pup CFI who kept arguing that Cessna Corvallis 400 is better than older Mooney Bravo. I said sure if you wanna spend 250-400K on a used airplane but I'll save 100K and rather buy a first gen Mooney Bravo. He was saying how expensive retracts are to maintain and how old the Mooney planes look compared to the fixed gear Cessna 400. Basically this kid was trash talking against Mooney! I laughed and said I'll take the Bravo and save. Come to find out this club wants 260/hr to rent the Mooney 252 and 500 hours total time.

Indeed considering a 1999-2000 Bravo or O sells for 300K, it's cheaper to buy a 1990 model and add the graphical engine monitor and new Garmin G500 panel.

Does anyone know what year it was when Bravos and Ovations started with new panel design to use the Moritz engine gauges up top? If I bought a Bravo or an O it would need this layout as I'm not crazy about the older scattered panel layouts found in the 1989-1992 Mooney TLS and first gen Ovations.

Funny I'm in similar boat and shopping for either a 252, Rocket, Bravo, or Ovation. I live on the west coast and want to fly up to Idaho for trout fishing, Mexico, and Florida for summer trips. Really not sure if I need TKS Or FIKI but turbo charging would definitely help get over mountains and high density airports. Most of the time I fly to Southern California, Tahoe, Vegas and up north to Oregon. As far as the market, I'm seeing great deals right now for older Bravos and Ovations which are priced close to older 252 and Rockets. Any idea why that is? -Scott

Ovations are sweet planes. I love the long body Mooneys very sexy planes.

True and could be the actuarial data that are responsible for much higher insurance rates on Bonanzas versus Mooney. A Mooney 252 is much faster than a Bonanza but the quotes for insurance were 1500 cheaper for me than the Bonanza and about same as an older 182.

Not yet I was supposed to look at it today but the seller was unavailable. Next weekend I'll look at it and submit an offer. If that goes then will send it to LASAR for the prebuy.

The folks at LASAR are awesome. Very friendly, patient and honest from my experience thus far. I'm using them for prebuy on the 252 that I'm looking at.

Bummer my offer was rejected on the Rocket. I'm headed to look at couple of nice 252 closer to home today. These 252 are less expensive than the Rocket for sale and I have better chance to work a deal on one for under 120K. Plus the 252 was maintained at Top Gun so have good feeling on it. I'm still going to have a prebuy done on it at LASAR either way. -Scott

Wowzer! Great job on the emergency landing and glad to hear you made it back ok. Sorry to hear about the engine. Hopefully you get her all fixed up good as new.

If I won the super lotto, I'd get a new Acclaim S, Pilatus and Extra 300 for acrobatics.

Not bad considering that a fully loaded Cirrus SR22 GTS costs same. Don't know about you guys but I'd much rather take a new Acclaim over the Cirrus.

Awesome thanks! Well the insurance on a Mooney 252 is way less than other makes considered such as Beechcraft and Cessna 182 which surprised me. Guess Mooney pilots are more cautious and don't make as many gear up landings as Bo drivers. -Scott

I'm looking for good finance and insurance recommendations for my future Mooney purchase. I've setup the prebuy annual for a 252 that I really like instead of the Rocket. Also to protect against fraud, what title and escrow service do you recommend as part of the buying process? Thanks Scott

Does MAPA provide a PPI checklist that A&P can use? I'm planning to join MAPA based on the benefits to Mooney pilots. I'm planning to negotiate an annual as part of the PPI especially with turbo components in the Rocket, Bravo and 252 that a basic prebuy might not uncover. I'd hate to spend 100K plus and then have an expensive turbo go tits up on me flying it home. -Scott

Agree Jimmy was very helpful and recommends a 231 or 252 for my budget and mission.

Thanks you guys are awesome! Indeed the Rocket should easily be able to make the kessel run from SNA to LASAR or Top Gun in 1.3hrs cruising at 220kts. The one I flew we were at 210kts at 7500' barely pushing it due to favorable winds. It's hard deciding between a 252, Rocket and older Bravo. The fuel economy is better in the 252 but prices are holding steady on the market compared to Bravo and Rocket markets. I do see a few nice 252 for sale nearby in Stockton so I'm going to check those out as well. -Scott

True I can negotiate having the prebuy done at Top Gun. I would imagine only would take 2 hours to ferry a Rocket from SNA to SCK for the prebuy inspection.

Thanks! CrownAir sounds like the best bet. It's a very nice Rocket with G500 glass cockpit and new leather interior owned by former NASA astronaut and scientist.

Looking at a really nice Mooney Rocket located in southern California area and need good recommendation for reputable Mooney shop near John Wayne (SNA) airport in Orange County. Thanks! Scott

Thanks I'll give him a call about Bravos and Rockets. Out here on west coast, a turbo is useful for safely crossing the mountains. Otherwise I'd just get a 201J or Ovation. -Scott