Amelia

If money's an issue (when isn't it?) you may decide to postpone the GPSS purchase. My avionics installer offered me the add-on for just under $1000 if I recall correctly, and I declined. Figured if I couldn't read the little note on the screen and twist a heading bug accordingly, all by myself, I ought not to be flying a complex aircraft in the first place. It still doesn't seem to be a problem.

Oh, yeah, and you DO want the approach capability. You just do, if you can possibly manage it. That GPS approach with vertical guidance to LPV minima is available at many airports that can't afford an ILS, and it's remarkable. At my airport, it's a 350 ft. min, and absolutely spot on, right down to the numbers. My first demonstration (hey, y'all, watch this!) of its coupled-approach capabilities made my non-flying spouse feel quite positive about the possibility of his landing the thing and surviving, even in bad weather, if I croaked in mid-flight.

I finally bit a very large financial bullet a year or two ago, and installed a Garmin 530W to replace (to make room) the little factory-original in-wing wx-radar unit that never seemed to do much more than briefly confirm what the Mark IV eyeballs could see. I'm very pleased with the 530W- its bright screen is very readable, and the autopilot-coupled LPV approach is little short of astonishing. I don't have a Garmin portable, though that would be lovely for the reasons you've mentioned, plus the fact that there'll be a lot of transference between the two boxes-- you've already figured out your portable, and that will give you a nice boost, no doubt, in getting up to speed with the panel-mounted one. One of these days I'll have the 530's prodigious capabilities memorized and will be able to use them all on the fly, so to speak, but so far, if in a hurry and faced with a fast-moving clearance, a pencil, followed by 'Direct To' works just fine until there's time to fiddle with dials. The Jeppeson database download is quick, but predictably pricey. It irks me considerably that money-grubbing Jepp decided to use expensive proprietary memory cards and docking station rather than much-cheaper stuff off the shelf at any electronics outlet.

Ohhh- That's gorgeous!

My beloved bird is getting a little frayed around the edges. At 29 years old, I suppose it's entitled. The Royalite is a bit yellowed, the seats are flattened and uncomfortable (without that Oregon Aero seat cushion, anyway) and the door seals are history. The carpet, except for being a little, um, cranberry-colored, isn't too bad. The 'experts' within 200 miles of here want a fair piece of change to do the entire interior right. Has anybody ever done the whole job themselves? If so, would you ever consider doing it again? Are the parts going to be almost as expensive as getting a pro to do the whole job? Does it presuppose you know what you're doing?

As I confessed earlier, I have never flown a 201, and fell into this 231 by sheer good luck. It has been a fabulous- if snug- cross-country ride. It's been all over the US and most of Canada. It hopped over the Canadian Rockies in a single bound, one of the few times I've actually broken out the oxygen masks to go over 18,000 feet. What an incredible view of the Icefield Parkway between Jasper and Banff!! On the way back, it got us home from California to South Carolina in well under 8 hours, with a gratifying tailwind and one fuel stop. I couldn't be more pleased with this airplane's performance. The exchange of a cute, but hopelessly underpowered radar (a little in-wing-banana-dished sales gimmick that was great for showing the leading edge of a big nasty cb I could perfectly well see the leading edge of) for a Garmin 530-W was expensive. But, oh, my, what a difference in IFR conditions. My choice of precision approaches was instantly more-than-doubled. I couldn't be more pleased. Now, I'm eager to get a shabby interior refurbished, but haven't figured out how to justify it. Yet. I'm still figuring. Is a 231 better? Well, I tell you: I am quite honestly prejudiced. Its extra oomph, its extra climb rate, its extra altitude capabilities have made me very happy on a number of occasions. If I'd had that turbocharger when we were ready to depart from Aspen one warm afternoon, we wouldn't have had to pay for an extra night in a fancy hotel to wait for cooler air that would get our old C172 over the mountains toward home. More times than I could count, I've been delighted to hop right over the rain, haze, heat, and bumpy clouds to smooth and sunny on top, higher than a 201 likes to be. I honestly don't think I mind the extra 2 gph, but if I do, I can always throttle back from my usual 75% power. I don't HAVE to burn 11gph. The only issue is the maintenance, and I suspect there's more variation WITHIN each category than between the two. Fly it properly and have a very good mechanic, and you'll be pleased, regardless of your choice.

I think what's being said here is that 'averages' are relatively meaningless. If you bank on 'average' and you have to replace something integral and expensive, if you need a top overhaul that George didn't need, if your annual comes in at $3500 when you were counting on that assumed average of $1200, if you find an AD for corrosion you weren't expecting, or some dingbat lineman crimps your nosegear and you don't notice until next annual, you're going to be one unhappy camper. And there goes that slush fund for the gotta-have avionics. Seems to me my first tank reseal lasted about 4 or 5 years, (beware of fast-talkin' good-ol-boy Floridians!!) and I put up with the seeps for another 5 years; last year's job in Minnesooda, which I hope will last as long as I'm still able to get in the airplane, ran, if I remember right, about $9000. ooof. The thing is, I'm told, the tank re-seal on that vintage Mooney isn't so much a matter of whether, but when. Not sure what the average is on the turbo lifespan, but it's sure a huge help when the wind is on your tail at 15,000, and on the nose at 5000, or when your choice on a typical summer day is clear, smooth and cool at 12,500 over the tops of the puffy clouds, or bumping along in the hot and humid murk at 6500. Which one's a better bet? When it comes to airplanes and cost, better remember the admonition, "Dahling, if you have to ask, you cahn't afford it." But life's all about choices. I choose to dress like a homeless person and drive a 15-year old car. But it's a NICE airplane. And besides, I'm worth it.... (if you need any help, I'm an expert at justifying unnecessary luxuries.)

That said, the one you're looking at might be well worth a much closer look, if the price stays in the $70K range- you could buy a lot of upgrading for that, assuming the engine's still in good shape.

Far be it from me to rain on a parade or cast aspersions at a Mooney, 231 or otherwise, but it's been a while since I had an annual for that price, even with a new engine. My 231 went to almost 2000 hours before it got tireder than I was comfortable with. And don't forget the sad tendency of wet-wing Mooneys to eventually need a tank reseal. And don't think you won't decide you need a snazzy new stack of radios... the point is, that if you're figuring it out to the penny, it might be wise to add 'sticking with the one you already have' to the serious list of considered alternatives.

Quote: ajoflyer Hi Amelia! I think we are the only two females here, so far anyway! So, Welcome! and post pictures in the gallery of your airplane. I read more than I post, and learn a lot from these guys...it's a great site for the Mooney Drivers. Happy flying!

Hi- I'm Amelia (no relation!) Reiheld, and live in Edenton, a beautiful small town, reeking of colonial history, overlooking the Albemarle Sound. It's far out in the back of North Carolina's eastern beyond, wedged between endless cotton fields and the Great Dismal Swamp. (Well worth a weekend visit, if anybody's looking for an excuse-- I can advise on romantic B&Bs and good restaurants.) My 1980 Mooney 231 makes civilization and grandchild cuddles - and the rest of the eastern half of the US an easy one-tank trip, though. Glad to find this site-- looks as if I'll have all the answers to my Mooney questions literally at my fingertips. Thanks!

Hi- I'm Amelia (no relation!) Reiheld, and live in Edenton, a beautiful small town, reeking of colonial history, overlooking the Albemarle Sound. It's far out in the back of North Carolina's eastern beyond, wedged between endless cotton fields and the Great Dismal Swamp. (Well worth a weekend visit, if anybody's looking for an excuse-- I can advise on romantic B&Bs and good restaurants.) My 1980 Mooney 231 makes civilization and grandchild cuddles - and the rest of the eastern half of the US an easy one-tank trip, though. Glad to find this site-- looks as if I'll have all the answers to my Mooney questions literally at my fingertips. Thanks!

Last year I had Willmar Aviation in Minnesoooda completely strip and reseal my tanks, maybe ten years after the last time it had been done; they predicted that their technique would last far longer, and of course, I believed them. They picked up the plane from Flying Cloud in Minneapolis, flew it back to Willmar, and I caught a cab to MSP for a ride home in the much cheaper seats of Northworst. I returned to MSP at the appointed time several weeks later, a very pleasant seatmate offered me a ride right to the reliever airport, and there was my airplane, waiting for me at Flying Cloud with an invoice on the seat. Not a small expense, all told, but sure smells better inside, and the wings don't have that ugly turquoise design on the undersides anymore. So far, so good.

I can't help you with a 201-231 comparison, but I've flown a Mooney 231 for about 28 years, both in an excellent partnership and, eventually, sole ownership, and you'll not get an unbiased opinion from me. Simply stated, I love my Mooney 20K. Are they expensive? Ohh, yes, but that goes for any retractable-gear, high-performance airplane, I think. There's just more equipment to maintain and repair. For the vast majority of my mostly-east-coast flying, a Mooney 201 would've been fine. I rarely really need to go much higher than 12,000 feet. But the sheer smugness of being able to say, "Yes, please!" when the controller asks you over inhospitable, cloud-draped high terrain if you can possibly accept FL 220, is incomparable. Watching the groundspeed readouts in the mid200s is also glorious, as you watch those midwestern sectionline roads whiz beneath you from 17000 feet eastbound. The 231's built-in O2 is both a blessing and a curse- it would be mighty nice to be able to take the bottle over to the nearest welding shop and say 'fill'er up' for maybe $10, instead of forking over $50-75 per fill-up at Bazillionaire Jet Center, but if you're not routinely going over 12,000, it lasts a long time, is mighty nice for a quick pick-me-up before a night landing, and that big out-of-the-way bottle holds plenty for pilot and passengers for most trips, especially if using adjustable-flow nasal cannulas. The much-maligned TSIO-360GB engine went well past TBO, with a top overhaul and eventually one turbocharger thrown in a bit more than midway through its extended lifespan. When the oil consumption edged upward and the climb speed began to feel a little anemic, I bit the bullet, and replaced both the engine (with a reman-TSIO360LB) and prop, and now it feels brand-new- for a lot less than the cost of even semi-new. With some panel upgrading (including replacing the never really trustworthy little radar with a G-530W) I know I'll never get my money back, but the fun and the feeling of confidence is a real joy. Now, speaking of putting five-dollar collars on two-dollar dogs, Mama really would like nice cushy new leather seats, please, Santa, but unfortunately, that's not in this quarter's retirement-fund budget. Keeping fingers crossed that my political pessimism is ill-founded, and a happier stockmarket will make that shabby original interior history. Which one to buy? I suspect it all boils down to how much bang for how many bucks you can find... that and which one has the prettiest paint.