Mooney M20F pre-buy

[Looziana]

Hi guys!

I found a Mooney in northeastern Mississippi that I'd like to have a thorough pre-buy inspection done on. Does anyone have any recommendations for knowledgeable shops in that area/region?

Thanks! 

[XXX]

Looziana,

Welcome! You'll have a few responses here in a few minutes. I'm in Central Florida so can't help much. Best wishes  and be sure to post pics if you purchase.

Steve

[Hank]

Should be one around Memphis, I think.

[Yetti]

Don't Maxwell shold not be far

[TWinter]

If wanting 100% MSC then Cole Aviation in GA is probably your closest ( I think).

 

-Tom

[Looziana]

Yeah, Don Maxwell is in Longview, Texas.  It's about 353nm from where the plane is based. This is my first rodeo buying an airplane, and I don't know exactly what's reasonable to ask of the seller in regards to getting the airplane to a shop, etc...

Thanks guys!

[Guest]

Just now, Looziana said:

Yeah, Don Maxwell is in Longview, Texas.  It's about 353nm from where the plane is based. This is my first rodeo buying an airplane, and I don't know exactly what's reasonable to ask of the seller in regards to getting the airplane to a shop, etc...

Thanks guys!

You're better off paying a bit more to move the plane to a better shop, than saving a few dollars followed by years of greif.  There are many sad purchase stories on these pages.

Clarence

[DXB]

+1 Cole Aviation in Dalton

[tony]

go to maxwell

[KSMooniac]

I flew farther than that to Maxwell for my PPI and would do it again.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[carusoam]

If you are buying a higher quality plane, it makes sense to go as far as Maxwell is.

This helps if you haven't negotiated down to the minimum number, while building in a certain level of distrust or un-ease.

If you are paying for near asking price, expecting everything is in working condition, and not just airworthy.  Go to an MSC.

When paying for a PPI, know what you are asking for.  Get a list or two...  one of all the AW issues.  The other all the things that should be fixed or would be nice to have working that are not AW issues.

a good shop can turn a PPI into an annual if that makes sense for you.

First rodeo, ask more questions...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[charlesual]

Nick at Keithareo is a mobile AI or has a shop in Pekin, IL. He's familiar with Mooney and very thorough. www.keithaero.com
Regards,
Charlie



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[Yetti]

you can get one version of the AD list from the FAA website.  With that and the log books and about 4-6 hours you can have a good idea of the maintenance history of the plane.  Order the CD from the FAA.

Check the wheel wells for corrosion.  Check all the rivets for bubbling.  

An annual inspection is a bit more through than a pilot walk around with some looking behind covers to make sure things are OK

A Pre Buy is what you ask and pay for.

 

[Guest]

As with an annual inspection which has way to many interpretations, a pre purchase suffers the same fate with far too interpretations of what is involved.  There are no standards to follow, some shops do to little, some buyers want to spend too little.  Better to meet with the shop doing the PPI for you and discuss your expectations for the inspection so both parties know the process.

Clarence

[Looziana]

Guys, thanks so much for all of the advice!  I'm going to go look at the plane myself next week and go over all the logs and compare the maintenance history against AD's, SB's, etc...then if it still looks like a good deal to me, I'll set up a pre-buy ASAP.

[Mooneymite]

Here's a strange bit of advice:  When you go to look at the plane, check out the owner.

I've used this strategy in buying 6 airplanes and it's served me well.  Airplanes are cared for by people.  If the person you are buying from takes care of everything he owns (his car, his house, his tools, etc) and everything is neat and tidy, the plane will probably be a safe bet.  If, however, the hangar is a mess, the owner's car is dirty and not cared for and his possessions seem to be in disarray, beware.

[Looziana]

This is the airplane I'm looking at purchasing:  N6306Q

Here are some old pictures of the airplane that are in the MOONEYSPACE galleries.  Are any of you familiar with this one?

[Andy95W]

13 hours ago, Mooneymite said:

Here's a strange bit of advice:  When you go to look at the plane, check out the owner.

I've used this strategy in buying 6 airplanes and it's served me well.  Airplanes are cared for by people.  If the person you are buying from takes care of everything he owns (his car, his house, his tools, etc) and everything is neat and tidy, the plane will probably be a safe bet.  If, however, the hangar is a mess, the owner's car is dirty and not cared for and his possessions seem to be in disarray, beware.

+1, and an additional point: the first flight in the airplane, the current owner should be flying it.  This gives the prospective buyer a chance to see if everything works, such as gauges and avionics, and you can see how rough a life the airplane has had under their ownership.

[larryb]

You can do a ton of pre-pre purchase yourself. If it passes that test take it in for the pro review. You can pull a few inspection panels and look for corrosion. Check the oil. Check how many hours and months on the oil. Tires. Hoses. Read the log books cover to cover. I found a gear up repair in the logs of a money marketed as ndh. The owner claimed he didn't realize it. I passed on that one not because of the repair but because i was misled.

[Mooneymite]

3 hours ago, larryb said:

You can do a ton of pre-pre purchase yourself. If it passes that test take it in for the pro review. You can pull a few inspection panels and look for corrosion. Check the oil. Check how many hours and months on the oil. Tires. Hoses. Read the log books cover to cover. I found a gear up repair in the logs of a money marketed as ndh. The owner claimed he didn't realize it. I passed on that one not because of the repair but because i was misled.

Actually, you can do a pretty extensive "pre-pre" purchase with just a few simple tools, a good flashlight and sharp eyes.  The big gotcha's are corrosion, fuel leaks and worn out engine/propeller.

Fuel leaks:  see if the tanks are full when you look at the plane; look for the dreaded blue stains near the belly.  Very often the fuel leaks are from the top of the wing; a seller trying to mask a bad tank might intentionally keep the fuel level low.

Corrosion:  While it can be anywhere, the places to look are in the wheel wells close to the fuselage and under the back seat (if the owner allows you to look there).  Check the logbook for the last time SB 208 was done.

Worn out engine:  check the logs.  Do a prop pull through and check for soft cylinders.  Check the exhaust for tell-tale gray stains.  How many hours on the mags?  Any tll-tale streaks on the prop near the hub?

Avionics:  Most of the avionics can be checked without even flying the plane.  Just turn them on!  Check each box.  The autopilot may have a ground test procedure.

None of this is rocket science.  Catching this stuff before the "professional pre-purchase" can save you a ton of money.

[Yetti]

and you can download the 100 hour / annual inspection form from the Mooney site.

[gsxrpilot]

I paid for a ferry flight, pilot, etc. to get my first Mooney to Don Maxwell's in Longview. What he saved me and helped me negotiate, more than covered his fee and the costs to get it to him.

[AlexLev]

On 10/21/2016 at 10:29 PM, Looziana said:

This is the airplane I'm looking at purchasing:  N6306Q

Here are some old pictures of the airplane that are in the MOONEYSPACE galleries.  Are any of you familiar with this one?

I thought about this bird but was personally turned off on the fact that the engine was overhauled by the owner's relatives and not a legit shop. In the prebuy, I'd focus as much as possible on checking the health of the engine. Bought an M20G instead.

Edited November 17, 2016 by AlexLev

[Bob_Belville]

That's an unusual M20F. I should have had 3 windows per side! Like Buddy's whose tail # matches the model and year. And the step used to retract...

[kpaul]

18 minutes ago, Bob_Belville said:

That's an unusual M20F. I should have had 3 windows per side! Like Buddy's whose tail # matches the model and year. And the step used to retract...

 

Here is my very late 1975 M20F (December 75) only two windows, fixed step and throttle quadrant.