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Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input.

Oh, the instrument panel. No, I'm happy with all three airplanes' panels. They all have a descent auto-pilot, Garmin 530W or better (the J I'm leaning towards has a 750), and all three have good engine monitors. The K has altitude select, which is nice- the others just have the up down button. It's a compromise I guess. I wish I was rich and powerful like some of you guys and just get a new Ovation...

I'm under one. The airplane would be based out of 3CK, NW "corner" of Ohare's Class B. What I typically do is climb to 3500 out of 3CK and shoot down south until I'm out from under the arc, then climb to about 5500 and head southeast, depending on conditions. I think the J is probably the wisest decision on many fronts. I just need somebody to slap me in the face....

Nice, thanks. I'm in Illinois, both airport altitudes I'll be mostly using are under 1000' MSL, and I doubt I'd routinely fly over 7000'. I'm strongly leaning towards one of the J's, but man that six cylinder is sexy...

I'm looking at getting my first Mooney after about 20 years of flying my old 172. The mission is a weekly trip of 128nm one way, once per week (so 256 nm round trip once a week), and then a monthly trip of 220nm to visit the folks. My weekly trip with the Cessna takes about an hour and a half engine start to shut down, so that kills 3 hours of an 8 hour day, which is why I'm looking at getting a Mooney. I'm hoping to cut that down by a third. So, I found a few airplanes near me that are within my budget and are equipped well enough for me. Two are J models, and one is a K model. My manly manhood says get the K because real men turbocharge six-bangers, but the J's are actually in a little better shape (the K has original 40 year old paint and seats, and both J's have fairly new paint and interiors). For my mission, in reality would you get the K over the J for the same money (this particular K is actually $5k cheaper, with <1000 hour engine, where the J's are both just over 1000 hours)? I'm thinking that the K would only be of benefit if I was flying 300-400 nm on average, but you guys are the experts. What do you think?

Lance Phillips was the guy I talked to, I think. He was at Oshkosh where I talked with him. I was talking about the fact that 242 knots was a lot of speed for only 280hp. He mentioned that an earlier generation had as much as 310hp, but the new Acclaim Ultra was faster than the older models in most environments. Actually he said the Acclaim Ultra was the fastest single engine production airplane ever produced, period. I found a couple Acclaim Type S's on the internet that had 310hp for $200k less, which is why I brought it up. To be honest, when I talked to him I was actually looking at a Cirrus- but I just can't see myself buying one of those. Not sure what it is. Looks like a kit plane, I guess... The Cessna looks sexier, but it IS a kit plane, so... (sorry Cessna, but it's a freaking Lancair to my eye) Anyway, the Mooney option stuck in my head ever since, but I was confused about the 310hp. If you buy a new Ovation Ultra, it comes with the 310hp standard now, btw. I thought the steps were retractable? More research needed...

Thank you. That cleared it up completely. So the new airframe modifications, composite section, etc. on the Acclaim Ultra would indeed be an improvement over the Type S because the 310hp is just a governor mod. Makes sense. Thank you again.

Sigh... So which is it? The 310hp STC is still turbocharged? Confusion is getting worse... You get better take off and initial climb performance, but everything else is the same?

So you are saying the 310hp STC is the Ovation engine? I thought it was the same Acclaim turbo engine with 310 hp. That would explain it! Thank you.

Hello. I am a prospective Mooney buyer- I've never owned one, but I flew a 201 back 20 years ago when I was getting my license and loved it. But I'm completely confused about the Acclaim line. So the new Acclaim is 280hp, but the "old" -S can be had with a 310hp engine. Yet when I talked to Mooney, they claimed the new Acclaim "is noticeably faster and more efficient in nearly all flight environments" than the -S with 310hp. How? What's different? The left door makes it go fast and burn lest fuel? I get double talk from the Mooney guy, so I'm asking you all. Why would I pay $800k for an Ultra rather than $600k on a 150 hour 310hp Type S? Avionics upgrade? I'm paying 200 large for a door and newer G1000? I must be missing something. Oh, and by the way, I travel between Chicago and Atlanta quite a bit, which is why the new airplane makes sense. ORD and ATL aren't my favorite places to jump on a commercial jet...