Flyler

Yeah the paint is a tough one for me. Hangar space around here seems to start at $800, but I do need to look a bit harder. I figured I would be reserved to leaving it on a tie-down, getting the note paid off, then maybe close my eyes and pay for a paint job and a hangar after 5 years or so. Still not sure how things will shake out. I feel awful leaving something outside- I own a Harley and they basically turn to a bowl of rusty dust if a water droplet touches them I went down to see this plane. I agree on the OP's comments regarding the (now) owner and his wife. Both extremely friendly and pleasant people. I am probably the worst person to judge, but I do feel that the asking price is a lot considering the "unanswered questions" as noted, and asking prices of other Mooneys online. This is the first Mooney I have sat in and yeah... I am now hooked. Back seat had more than ample room for our needs. Now I need to see if the same is true for the M20E. I'm not sure if it was just that initial Mooney fascination or if this one was particularly suited to me. Loved the color, interior, choice of avionics. It being a 45 minute drive away helps too. I'm going up to see a M20E model and I think I will put this Plainville Mooney on my list to revisit. If they are flexible on the price it seems like a great airplane, pending a really thorough inspection. I think the listing, like many internet ads, is a bit too optimistic in terms of exterior condition. It is absolutely a great looking aircraft but its more like "great condition considering its age" and not "great recently restored condition". Perhaps it was a lot better in 2021 when it was first parked out there.

I think a J model will be out of my price range. To be honest, at first I was looking at "cheap" C and E models. I have done some reading and had some good advice from others on the forums here and am really looking at the F models now. I think that extra room in the backseat will be something I regretted not spending on later. Budget-wise I think I'm more at $85-90k. Preferrably I would find a mechanically and exterior sound plane, with OK avionics, that needs an interior refresh. Looking at a more local M20F that has a really lovely interior, nice avionics and dash, and "pretty OK" paint. It has some question marks around it though. Not enough to scare me away, but I think the asking price is high, considering. That's really what prompted me to make this post.

Thank you all for your responses. Everything makes sense. I agree 100% with just throttling down a little bit too. It also fits my general vehicle purchasing mentality- buy the hotrod and don't go hotrodding it around all day... keep that power on tap for when you want it and make the motor last

Hello sir- I sent an email. A copy of the report would be fantastic and I couldn't thank you enough!

Hello guys, I am starting my hunt for a Mooney. I'm about 5 hours away from my PPL requirements, and would plan on getting at least 10 hours of Mooney CFI time. I am planning on going straight through to my instrument rating and was thinking that would be amazing to do in my own plane if possible. After recently getting into the back seat of an m20F, I think the mid-length cabin is the one for me. As a matter of fact, I sat in the back seat of an m20F that is currently for sale, and am thinking the asking price is probably quite a bit high, but otherwise it seemed great. That, of course, could just be hopeful thinking. Anyone familiar with reasonable prices and wouldn't mind DMing me a bit to discuss? I'm hoping to look at an M20G, all original and hangar kept, next week as well.

Did you end up seeing this Mooney? I'm interested to hear how it went.

Thanks Hank, I agree whole heartedly. I have a set of Bose noise cancelling and a Lightspeed noise cancelling for the wife as well. We are planning some trips with the pup, and she has muttmuffs I've just always found that a more quiet interior space adds a lot to the "luxury" of a vehicle. Who knows, I might decide it was a silly thought later on...

I'm looking at purchasing a Mooney, hoping for an m20F model but also looking at the m20C/E models. Really, I just need to get my butt into the back seat of one to see just how tiny it is At any rate, whatever I buy will probably be due for an interior update and the top of my list is sound deadening. Has anyone gone down this path? I've done vehicles before and was always very happy with the results. It seems that interior work can be done by the owner/operator and doesn't require an A&P, but I have no direct experience. Perhaps my assumption is wrong? Would I be able to add foam/foil sound deading myself and have an A&P sign off on the weight addition? Interested to hear from anyone that has done this- was it worth the work?

Anyone know what this is?

Honestly, I've just worked a lot in my life, and had the privilege of parents paying half my college tuition. Worked full time through college as well. Got really lucky to meet some great mentors along the way. Always been debt-adverse so I just... well I don't have any other than the mortgage. Both our cars are paid off and in good shape. We way underbought on a house that needed a ton of work, and I did 95% of it myself. Yes we are DINK but tbh the wife's job doesn't chip in much and I have her put all her take-home in her IRA. I've been sort of stupidly paying an extra $750/mo on my mortgage (back to that debt-adverse mentality) even though it has a really low rate. Another huge stroke of luck was buying our house in December of 2019, before the market went insane. Figured I might as well just have some fun instead. Wife is *thrilled* with the idea of being able to hike all the mountains that we have a hard time reaching in the car for a weekend trip!

Thank you everyone for the review on this sample Mooney. I feel like my expectations are now set, at least somewhat reasonably. I think something in this price range would be a good entry for me. It would leave me with plenty of cash for the "catch up maintenance" without hurting my pride too much. Payments would be very comfortable and leave me with lots of adventuring money. Things like reupholstering or panel clean up do not scare me at all, and they seem like nice areas where I could make an older plane a lot fresher, and "make it my own" without diving into the A&P territory too much. To be honest, if it was structurally sound with a good motor and no corrosion, I could handle a lot of ugly paint and interior!

So, I made some calls. I was hoping somewhere along the way, I would be shocked by the cost and it would ruin my Mooney dreams, dooming me to the 100Kt Piper rentals. To be honest, I still thoroughly enjoy the 100Kt piper rentals, but, you know. Mooney bug. So far after talking to my credit union, I could easily put 35% down, have comfortable payments, and afford something around $80k. Of course it would need to live outside on a tie-down, which does hurt my soul a little bit, but a hangar is drastically more expensive. I wouldn't mind spending my own money on the interior, but would love to have a machine that someone else has already spent some of their own money into the avionics and maybe some speed mods. Currently my experience is all in old steam guaged Pipers so I figure as long as I never put myself into a full glass cockpit, any GPS would be LOVELY The range of prices is so broad that I was hoping someone could set me in the right direction here. I am guessing I will end up with the short body Mooney due to the cost, but occasionally an M20F shows up that really piques my interest. Do you guys think something like this is "too cheap" where it would need a ton of work? Is this a good price range? https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=MOONEY&model=M20F&listing_id=2427914&s-type=aircraft# In case anyone doesn't want to follow the link, here's the quick info: 1966 Mooney M20F, asking $79.5k Total Time:8727 (that does seem like a lot) Engine 1 Time:873 SMOH Avionics: PS ENGINEERING MA450B AUDIO PANEL GARMIN GTS 430W GPS/NAV (1GS) GARMIN GTX 345 XPONDER W/ADSB OUT GARMIN GTR 200B RADIO Auto-Pilot: BRITTAN ACCUTRAK Other Equip: ELECTRONICS INTERNATIONAL CGR-30P, CGR-30C COMBO TACH, MP. ENGINE MONITOR, FUEL

Thank you, this sounds like sage advice. I'm sure every single student pilot gets the wild dreams of buying their own airplane when they can feel the license is coming soon In reality, I would like to just continue straight onto IR, high performance, complex, and ideally commercial one day. The rates at the school are good and there is a very attractive looking club at my local airport. Of course, they don't have any Mooneys! I'll probably keep stashing my cash for the initial purchase for another year or so before I pull the trigger. Until then I will have to be content with the 100kt Piper rentals.

Hi guys, I just wanted to stop in and say hello. I'm still working on my PPl, very close at 42hr and with the weather improving her in CT, hopefully it comes fast! I did some research to see what a good adventure plane would be for myself, wife, and dog... Of course the answer is Mooney, Mooney, Mooney! I'm hoping to pick up an OK condition m20C or m20E model and fix it up and modernize over time. Currently still a bit of a dream but really looking towards the future! Cheers! Tyler