1980Mooney

You don't mention if you are a new pilot, instrument rated, etc. If a new pilot, do you plan to use the plane to build time and earn an Instrument ticket? Do you have time in retractable? Point being, the purchase price of a plane is just the entry cost. The ongoing cost can approach the price of the plane in ten (10) years....maybe seven (7) years if you are new. And yes, paying more for a good, well-maintained plane can save you on yearly operating cost initially. Have you budgeted for operating expense after the purchase? Maybe you are experienced and this is old news for you: Are you going to put it in a hangar? Depending on where you are, that could run $200-600/month. Up to $7K per year Insurance - Liability and Hull. If you are a new pilot, you might have trouble getting insurance at any cost. And if you are new and can get insurance, with a $136K hull value, I would not be surprised for you to pay up to $7K per year. There is a member here on MS that can assist you with getting insurance at the best price. Even if you have some experience, you need to budget for some transition training - your insurance carrier will demand it Annual and maintenance - easily $3K per year...likely more The devil is in the details. For instance, you mention the plane that you are looking at has a GNS530W. Although a legacy GPS navigator it is still very capable. But when was the LCD panel last replaced? They do go bad and the Garmin flat rate for repair is now over $3K. You will incur some annual expenses for flight apps/EFB and Jepp data base updates on your GPS box(es). That can add up - at least $500/yr. And then there are consumables like avgas, oil and tires (if you are challenged at landing initially...) 60 hours @ 10 GPH = 600 gallons. Avgas prices are $5.92 nationwide and rising. That is another $3.6K per year Even if you tie-down and are experienced, I doubt you can get your annual costs below $10k. And if new/low time with your plane in a hangar at a congested airport, you might be paying upwards to $20K annual expenses per year. And you need to keep some funds handy for the unexpected. Aircraft ownership is a balancing act.

@Dlong07 BTW. When an owner buys a plane and dumps $10K's into it, it is hard to get all of the investment back if it is sold shortly after. Typically, avionics/panel upgrades only fetch about 60% of the investment if sold shortly after the upgrade. Engine overhauls get more. It is best to find a plane the way that you want it. Check to see how long the one you are looking at was owned by the prior owner. - See if it was a recent purchase/investment in upgrades and flip or a longtime owner that spent a lot and is having to sell now.

I applaud your enthusiasm. I was there 3 decades ago. A few other things to think about: Are you paying cash or are you going to finance some/all? If you are financing, you need to think about how easy it might be to resell it on short notice. No matter how enthusiastic a pilot/owner is, things happen in life. You might have a medical event, life changing event, financial event, etc. Based on the few details it sounds pretty pricy - sort of like an owner that poured a lot of money into it and wants it all back. If you are paying cash then spend what you want to get the plane that you want For comparison here is a M20C for sale from GMAX who is a solid broker - a straight shooter. It also has 200 hours SMOH and a panel similar to what you describe with a modern "6 pack" Aspen, GNS430, etc. except no autopilot. It has a JP Instruments EDM-700 engine monitor, 201 style windshield, PowerFlow tuned exhaust, retractable shoulder harnesses, etc. 1968 MOONEY M20C RANGER For Sale in Spring Branch, Texas | Controller.com They are only asking $89,000. It looks like it has a lot of value for the price. That is $47,000 less than the one you are looking at - that’s a lot for the addition of the autopilot.

Huh? Continental and Lycoming use the term. I have a "Rebuilt" from the Continental factory. You can buy NEW, REBUILT or OVERHAULED from either company.

I tried to satellite message about 3 weeks ago on a long X-country using an iPhone 17 Pro with the latest iOS. Clear skies flying 10-12K feet. No luck.

Just eyeballing the new AD it looks like it includes every connecting rod on every engine that Lycoming shipped from January 2009 to September 2021. I assume that includes Factory O/H and Rebuilds. Would it not also include every connecting rod bushing that they sold as parts or part of an overhaul parts kit? "The FAA estimates that this AD affects 45,152 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry." That is about 40% of all Piston General Aviation in the US. Probably almost all the GA Rotorcraft. There must be thousands more outside the US. Another AD issue/cost when re-importing planes back to the US.

There is a reason - Increasing RPM and some imbalance. Also as you go faster the nose lightens. The weight on your nosewheel probably initially dampened some of the out of balance vibration but as it gets lighter and the RPM increases it is probably vibrating more and feeling "squirrelly". Your 5.00X5 nose wheel has an outside diameter of 13.65 to 14.2 inches when inflated. Let's call it 14 inches. At 60 knots : 1,658 RPM At 65 knots: 2,072 RPM At 70 knots: 2,210 RPM

This has been discussed before. If you search MooneySpace on Google Chrome with "site:mooneyspace.com (and add whatever you want to search)" then you can find more discussions. Here is one:

In the not too distant future, probably not long after I hang it up, the norm in GA will be more automation (esp engine and prop management - ie "Piston AutoThrottle"), more integrated weather automatic rerouting/deviation, more AutoLand, probably AutoTake-Off by then, more Children of the Magenta Line, more "What's the plane doing now?!" Pilots will become more and more like Passengers. Of course they will need to watch YouTube videos of cute puppies.....

What a goof in this YouTube - suggesting that there may be grounds for a "Class Action Lawsuit. "Breach of (month to month) contract". " Do these people even read the agreements before they get on camera and start spouting ignorance? Then he says "depends upon how the services are worded"...DUH. If he is too lazy to read it or can't figure it out then he should let Claude or ChatGTP or even Grok put it in words he can understand.

Huh? I don't whine about capitalism - I just point out that is what our economy is built upon. Maybe some don't like capitalism and prefer something more socialistic like subsidized (i.e. "free") air traffic control or riding on the coat tails of the commercial operators. But this pricing should not have come as a surprise. SpaceX can't support its market valuation or Elon's compensation by giving it away cheap.... And once they have everyone signed up thinking they will get the lower cost plans, that is when they jack prices up. up , up... Starlink Surpasses 10 Million Active Users Worldwide

You may idolize Elon, but someone has to pay his ridiculous salaries/paydays. It's YOU......

Sounds like a classic drug dealer strategy. Almost got you hooked…..

How valuable is that really when dealing with 40-60 year old planes that have been owned by many owners? We have one MS member here that bought a M20J from another MS member. The selling MS member had written posts/posted pics about his plane and its care. It was maintained by a MSC on the East Coast. He posted it for sale on MS. Turns out the plane had corrosion in the wing that was only found in the Annual AFTER the buyer took possession. And the selling MS member washed his hands of the matter. Maybe the selling MS member didn’t know about the corrosion (prior or prior-prior owner problem? lack of care? who knows) or maybe he did. Anyway it cost the buying MS member many $10’s of thousands for repair by Maxwell and a year downtime.

40? I think the factory one piece belly has less than half the number of camloc mounts.