KSMooniac

That nose gear estimate sounds high to me too. Talk with LASAR about getting one of their overhauled truss units and then start from there. The plane still sounds like a strong buy to me too.

Another vote to keep going! That is a lot of Mooney for the price, even if you have to do a full tank re-seal on your nickel.

Congrats! Looks like a great plane, especially if you're getting a low price!

Try NAFCO and US Aircraft Finance too. Both had pretty competitve offers when I was shopping earlier this year.

Looks great!

I've done some 4-up weekend trips in my '77 J. It is a maximum-performance mission, but doable if everyone is not obese and you pack carefully. I have a 1020 lb useful load, and this is adequate for 2 males/2 females, less-than-full-fuel, and weekend baggage. I have a fuel totalizer with my JPI engine monitor, so I'm quite confident launching with say 42 gallons of gas (vs. 50 or 64 as those are normal markings) if I need to in order to stay under max gross weight (2740 lbs in my case). Without the engine monitor, a fuel dip-stick would likely suffice to determine exact fuel load, and then you would have to be sure of good weather and range from there...but the totalizer sure removes all worry about flying a trip down to minimum IFR reserves. I wouldn't do such a trip in a mountainous region as the climb rate up high gets quite small, but for a flatland XC a 201 at max gross does very well. I've never had a complaint about back seat room, and quite a few comments that pax were surprised how comfy it is back there. My younger brother and I pretty much grew up in the back seats of a C model, but outgrew that as we got older. You won't have that problem with a J! All Mooneys are excellent IFR birds, so you would do fine getting the rating in one. I got my IR in my college flying club and did my Mooney/complex transition during that period, so I got a few hours of IR instruction during my 10 hour checkout and am glad I did so. Bonanzas are nice too...hard to go wrong with either. Just make sure you get the W&B data for each individual plane you consider, and plan some sample trips with your 4 folks + bags and fuel. I think you'll find that the lower fuel burn of the J might equalize any perceived useful load advantage of a Bonanza, unless you can convince yourself you'd fly an A36 much slower on a 4-up trip. It is very, very hard to intentionally slow down to increase range on a given fuel load.

you might look-up jasonwojo on this site...he has two Rockets currently and is always looking for deals!

That sounds pretty reasonable, even low to me, time-wise. I figure it would be in the 40-hour range with the lubrication steps included. I spend a lot longer doing it owner-assist style because I'm slower than a pro, but likely more methodical too.

Hi Bacachero. Not yet, I'm afraid! It is still on my wish-list but I have another idea I'm going to try first...smaller scale and hopefully easier to execute.

TCM did indeed have a rash of poor quality cylinders (thanks to some wunder-MBA cost savings) that led to a lot of premature cylinder/valve problems no matter how the operator managed the engine. Hopefully those days are behind them, but you never know...

Job, yours does sound like a rare Lycoming! That is great that it won't eject the first couple of quarts.

Parker, that is a huge improvement, isn't it? I never liked the white yokes...

Quote: KLRDMD If you get an F with manual gear and hydraulic flaps, you may see a difference.

It is entirely possible that the valves were not aligned nicely from the TCM factory... there are some in the business (so I've read) that do valve jobs on new TCM cylinders before installing them just to make sure the alignment/centering is correct.

Tom, I called around a bit last year and found a distributor in MI or WI (I think) that was selling for as-good or better than the main MT office in FL, even with their Sun-n-Fun or OSH special prices. I can't remember the name just now and my notes are at home so I'll try to dig them up later. Like you, I'm hoping the plunging Euro would lead to a noticeable price reduction for us and plan to shop for one in earnest at OSH this year. There are a few vendors advertised in Trade-a-plane and the back of Sport Aviation too.

I only fill to 6 quarts as well. I suggest you have a good supply of belly cleaner and shop towels ready after you get back from that flight with 8 quarts... In the future if you wish to save time, just open a new roll of shop towels, and pour two quarts of oil all over it and then throw it away.

I can't disagree with anything posted above. F and J should have identical operating costs except for a minor variance in insurance due to hull value, but that is about it. Cylinders are the same for each (more expensive than other -360s), an F might have a prop with a recurring AD, but otherwise they're very, very similar. If your purchase budget supports it, you won't be sorry getting a J over an F. (I was initially looking for a modified E or F but talked myself into a J at a higher price, and am *so* glad I did). I especially agree with Jim's philosophy on reserves...I don't put aside $xx per hour for future use, but I know it is out there. I have a single savings account that serves as my emergency fund for the plane, truck, house, etc. or if I get laid off. I don't care to track my expenses so closely for a personal-use time machine...others might though. I pay for fuel and oil as-used, and anything else along the way. When it comes time for overhaul, I'll either write a check or finance but at this point I don't worry about it. I wrote a check for a new paint job last year, as well as $2500 in un-planned cylinder work. If you're so strapped that an un-planned need for an engine overhaul next month would cause you to have to sell the plane or quit flying, then ownership is not for you, unfortunately. If you could get a home equity loan or similar to handle and un-planned overhaul, and then pay it off aggressively then perhaps that would be good enough...only you can decide, though. If none of the above scares you, then hurry up and buy something! The market is still down, so it is a great time to buy. My fixed costs for comparison: Insurance $1400 (750 TT, instrument, ~500 Mooney, hangared, $115k hull) Hangar $1800 Maintenance $3000 (average estimate, not including upgrades GPS Databases, XM weather, charts ($1375) Fuel, $5.00 average * 10 GPH average * 150 hours/yr = $7500 150 hours a year = $100.50 /hr operating costs, not including loan payment Also not included...significant maintenance events, some planned some not: Fuel tank rehab at Willmar $8000 Paint Job $10500 Speed Mods $2500 GTX-330ES upgrade after KT-76 died $4000

Docket, here ya go: http://www.vintagemooneygroup.com/VMGSouthCentral/PREGGG2010.htm

Excellent news! Fix that bushing sooner rather than later as it will just accelerate wear in the system.

That is in the range of the premium shops with good reputations. ArtCraft out in CA is/was recently doing Mooneys for ~10k out-the-door when they were really looking for jobs late last year and earlier this year. They've gotten very good reviews on this site, and if I were doing it over I might very well take a fun XC and get a commercial flight back, or perhaps even stay there during the week since they are turning them that quickly. I used a different shop last year with a good reputation and the price was lower than 10k, but I also just had to take it back for warranty work, which wiped out some of the cost savings since I had to miss work and arrange for more ferry flights. The best thing you can do is ask around your local area and hopefully see some examples of work after they've been flying for at least a year to see how well the paint job is holding up. I still think we can get a very nice job for less than the 13-15k+ that the "premium" shops charge, but you'll have to really do some homework.

I've flown neither, but I would prefer the 252 over the Bravo primarily for the powerplant. I'd rather have the TSIO-360 vs. the TIO-540 any day. A 500 mile trip will make the turbo worthwhile, even if you're not flying in/over mountains, too, so no need to argue turbo vs. non-turbo IMO. You might consider winter flying...based in GA perhaps not a huge deal unless your 500 mile trip is going north, year-round. You can get known-ice TKS with the Bravo, but not with the 252 as far as I know. (The M20K Encore has the option though) I tend to favor efficient speed, and the 252 should do much better than the Bravo, albeit at a slightly slower cruise speed. Prices on both are currently depressed enough that you can put some upgrades in the panel and not get upside-down unless the market never recovers. If/when fuel prices shoot up again, I would expect the 252 demand/price to go up, or at least not drop, relative to an M20M. A gear-up damage history is very likely a non-issue so long as the repairs and documentation were done properly. If it was done many years ago, then very likely no deduction on price either. If it was done within the last few years, then perhaps you can negotiate a deduction on the purchase. At the end of the day, it would be hard to go wrong with either choice!

Mooney no longer builds J cowls, so you'll be SOL as far as I know. What you have should be repairable by any competent A&P with fiberglass/composite knowledge and training. It is not that difficult.

I think DESAPI is up there somewhere, and routinely gets high marks. They might be a premium price, too.

I don't think cowl vibration would have anything to do with loading or climb power. You might remove the top piece and check for cracks...it could be that you now have one and the resulting loss of stiffness is leading to more deflection than you remember. You also might check the condition/engagement of the baffle seals on the cowl before you remove it, too.

I'm another recent convert to Phillips XC + Camguard. Aviation Consumer recommends this combo as well.