TheAv8r

I think this is the plane you're looking at: https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=MOONEY&model=M20E+SUPER+21&listing_id=2437216&s-type=aircraft Several things to dive into deeper with the seller: "Recent top overhaul in September of 2024, Crankshaft replaced during top overhaul." You cannot replace the crankshaft simply by taking the cylinders off the plane. The case has to be split. So they split the case, replaced the crankshaft, but didn't touch the camshaft or tappets, and put new cylinders on it. This is some kind of bastardized half-overhaul, the camshaft on Lycomings is also infamous for spalling and corroding early so since that wasn't replaced and this engine wasn't flying, it could be next. OH in 2005 with 600hrs on it = 30hrs/yr flown on average, which isn't great too, maybe related to why they replaced the cylinders. Need to better understand the story of why they did this and why the split the case but didn't do an actual overhaul. Major patchwork on engines without actually doing a major tells me they're cutting corners to save costs, and since the aircraft sales broker did it, they probably are trying to do the minimum to get the plane in a sellable condition. "Gear up landing 1965, off airport landing 1981, minor airframe repairs 1989 and 1991" All of these are old, so probably not a problem, but that's a fair bit of repairs, worth digging into the logs to see why the repairs were done, how extensive they were, and that they were done correctly. "New fuel tanks 1996" No other mention of a reseal is made, and they don't specify if these are bladders, if they are not, I could almost guarantee you're in for a reseal soon.

I would definitely encourage you to do it! I would also encourage you to get some Mooney-centric training from someone who really knows the airplanes. You're going from flying very simple, fixed-gear, slow airplanes to flying a rocket ship that requires a lot more finesse to fly and that comes with a learning curve that may be harder for someone your age, or might not be, totally depends on how you learn . In addition to the gear system, your planning around airspeeds, slowing the plane down, it's also just the speed you have to think to stay ahead of the airplane is going to be drastically different than your C150 or Cherokee. Having a good 10-15 hours with a Mooney CFI will help you a lot as you transition over. You might want to get a few hours in a Mooney before pulling the trigger on buying one to see how it feels. I have a '65 E - they're awesome airplanes. My favourites of the Mooneys, still nimble and crisp to fly as a short-body but they climb like a rocket ship and are fast and economical. At 65% power, 20 degrees LOP, mine does 142-145kts TAS depending on altitude at 7.7gph. That's my favourite place to run it for XCs. Speeding it up to 75% power at 150deg ROP I see 155kts TAS. As far as what to look for, sounds like you already know the basics when looking at planes so will focus on the Mooney things: When were the gear pucks last replaced? Those are age limited and semi-expensive to replace Fuel tanks - are they bladders or still a wet wing? If a wet wing, when was it last resealed? If > 8yrs, you might have a reseal in your near future ($5k or so) Does the prop hub have the 100hr AD? It's an annoying AD if you fly a lot, the -B hub is well worth it. Corrosion - particularly looking at the spar caps, and under the rear seats with the interior out, and the tubular steel cage, those are the most prone areas to getting it. Inspect the induction boot - this is a mostly unobtanium part right now if it tears, so you'll want to ensure it's in good condition

This one checks all of your boxes, the asking is $105k, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to snag it for $100k. The only thing not mentioned is how frequently it is flying. https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=MOONEY&model=M20E+CHAPARRAL&listing_id=2439515&s-type=aircraft

I have a JPI 930 installed on my M20E, probably 250 hours on it, 0 issues.

Also strongly advocate for CIES senders properly calibrated. My CIES senders are incredibly accurate, to 1/10th of a gallon, so at all times I know exactly how much fuel is in my airplane. I never fly with less than an hour reserve, but it has brought so much peace of mind when trying to make decisions on fuel planning.

Yeah, I've interpreted it the same way, there's 52gal of usable total fuel, and then an additional 0.5-ish gal of unusable (I have a '65 E with bladders).

FWIW consider all of the accessories too. I OHed the prop, put in a new prop governor, all new oil and fuel hoses (required per Lycoming's SB FYI), new baffling, new hardware, OH the engine mount, etc. Add in labor and by the time it's all said and done, it's $60-70k.

I overhauled my IO-360-A1A engine in November of last year with the engine being delivered to me finished in June. At that time, you could not get new A1A cylinders (2yr lead-time) so mine were OH. The base OH charge was $28k, I added in some things that brought the final up to around $33k. This was from a well-known reputable overhaul shop.

What is your MP / RPM / Fuel Flow on takeoff? Depending on your field elevation + density altitude, it should be around 29-30" MP, 2700 RPM and 19-20ish GPH. If it's nowhere near those numbers, that would indicate a control rigging or powerplant problem. I don't think the rigging would cause a 30kt speed penalty, it more of gains you 3-5kts.

The front Mooney cockpit is a lot more spacious than people make it out to be, tons of leg room and headroom. It's the rear seats that get cramped in older Mooneys, not the cockpit. The difficulty for larger people isn't the cockpit, it's getting in and out of the airplane IMO, kind of like getting in/out of a Mazda Miata.

My E when I bought it was at 1500hrs SMOH, regularly flying, well-maintained and running well. I had to overhaul it at 1810hrs. Just saying, it's a YMMV type of operation, it can be running perfect 1 day and have an issue the next, regardless of time, higher time just makes it more likely.

Jimmy from GMax Aircraft (well known Mooney broker) just posted this M20E for sale. https://jimmygarrison.smugmug.com/N6389Q/n-CjbH3B It’s above your budget but a perfect fit for your IFR mission, and I would say it’s worth the extra $$ to buy a plane that already has all the desirable upgrades like the CGR30s, GI275s, newer engine, non-AD prop hub, FS210, LED lights, etc. then spending it yourself on a cheaper plane.

Update here - We did a compression check and all 4 cylinders were 80/80. No air was escaping or could be heard. We then borescoped the cylinders and did find a few anomalies. I have sent these over to the shop to get their thoughts, but here are they are down below for the hivemind . Dark streaks down the bottom of one of the cylinder - A&P noted it did not seem to be cutting into the metal. That burnished splotch on the top is wet oil, not glazing, after looking at a few different angles per my A&P. More streaks/scrapes on one of the cylinders towards the end of travel near the valves. At 80/80 compression, I have a hard time understanding mechanically how the rings aren't seated, as that kind of compression means nothing is escaping past the rings, which indicates they are flush against the cylinder wall right? We'll see what we hear back from the shop.

It is consistent! I've done XCs, local flights, 1hr, 2hr... keeps getting back to that number. I always thought somewhere around 8-12hrs/qt was the norm though, 5hrs feels high. My old engine was 8hrs/qt at 1800hrs SMOH. The last Mooney I owned before it was 15-20hrs/qt on 500hrs SMOH. Maybe it will settle down in a year or two, I just am tired of flying it at 75% power, I like to run 65% power LOP on XCs to save gas. Plus I'm ready to cruise up at the higher altitudes and not stay below 5500...

Just an update there for those tuning in: At 48hrs SMOH and the oil consumption has been 1 qt/5hrs for the last 20 hours . CHTs have not changed whatsoever since the first flight. Every flight has been at 75% power. I have done 3 additional WOT runs since, including a 2000ft 2hr WOT run and it has not seem to make a difference. There is oil showing up on the left nose gear door that I believe may be blow-by from the crankcase breather. We plan to do a compression check and borescope again soon. I have an IFR flight coming up soon where an approach may have to be shot at lower power, I've put off all IFR ops waiting for it to hit 50hrs but it's getting hard to avoid that as we get into the fall months.