ValkyrieRider

Thank you for the information. The rest of the wheel well looked dirty, oily, and a little pitting. They are currently on a private gravel runway, which may cause some of the pitting if rocks are hitting the unit - however, I have never seen it land there, so I wouldn't know if that caused it. As mentioned above, I am not sure about the reason for taking that panel off, and, I hadn't thought to ask to see the maintenance logs specifically to look for the reason. Great information, thanks for the diagram.

I am a brand new member, and very hopeful to be a Mooney M20(C-?) owner in the next few weeks. I have loved the Mooney since becoming a PP, 13 years ago, although I have never flown one. Actually, currently I don't have a complex endorsement, but the instructor I am working on IFR training will shift to that immediately after purchase. I am looking to purchase a '65 - '72 Mooney, and have found a few '67 and '68 that are in my price range. So the couple questions I have for this experienced group: 1. I have a different instructor that is telling me that I should not purchase a '68 with cash, because I will be using it weekly to get to an office 300 miles away, and I can't afford for it to be down. He said that it wouldn't be reliable, and I should consider taking out a loan and purchasing an 1980+ Cessna 182, because it would be more reliable and not need the level of constant work to keep it in the air. 2. I have looked at a couple '68 M20C's, one that is closest to my house shows a LOT of signs of age, compared to others. There are a couple areas that cause a little alarm (although, uneducated because I have never owned an older Mooney), such as there is a little pitting and rusting on the flap handle and the Johnson bar. I would think that they shouldn't have rust on them, but maybe I am wrong (I will post a picture for reference). 3. The second picture is of a removable plate on the left wing, near the fuel fill tank hole, that has gunk all around it. It is the only one I see like this, but it concerned me. I was also surprised that the owners didn't clean it up prior to me coming to look at the plane. They seem like great people, but that doesn't alleviate my concern. Any thoughts on this? 4. The last picture would be of the pucks, would these need to be changed immediately, or is this a standard look? I will definitely get a PPI, as I see most recommend on this site, but wanted to ask opinions of the experienced Mooney fliers here before I pay for the PPI and find that it isn't worth moving forward. The PPI is going to cost me $1400 - I hate to throw that money away if there are obvious signs that I shouldn't move forward - but this group may tell me that I concerned about nothing. THANK YOU for your advice... Johnson Bar.pdf Tank.pdf Pucks Nose.pdf