Where to Find a Mooney for Sale

[Roger O]

Hi Everyone.  I am in the market again for a an older E in decent condition for my wife and myself.  Other than finding a seller on Mooneyspace, which of the online sites do you think are the best (e.g. Trade-A-Plane, Barnstormers, ASO etc.) and why?

Thanks! 

[Ben E.]

Hi Everyone.  I am in the market again for a an older E in decent condition for my wife and myself.  Other than finding a seller on Mooneyspace, which of the online sites do you think are the best (e.g. Trade-A-Plane, Barnstormers, ASO etc.) and why?
Thanks! 

They're all good sites. You'll see some cross posting and sometimes a plane will only be on one of the sites. So you should really check all of the sites. In any case it doesn't cost you anything to use the sites or inquire about a plane. Don't forgot to check out controller.com, which typically has the most listings.


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[Roger O]

Thanks Ben, it's greatly appreciated.  Now if I can only get to those great planes before they go online...

[LevelWing]

6 minutes ago, Sherman18 said:

Thanks Ben, it's greatly appreciated.  Now if I can only get to those great planes before they go online...

Ask around at your local airport(s). The regulars around there will know if someone is looking to sell. Local maintenance shops or avionics shops may have a board with for sale posters on there as well. 

[carusoam]

All american

trade a plane

controller

My favorite way to look for Mooneys

Best regards,

-a-

Edited April 7, 2017 by carusoam

[DXB]

Maybe tell any MSCs in your region that you're looking also - they will have you in mind when they have an inside scoop.

[Roger O]

DXB, unfortunately the MSCs in this part of the country are few and far between,  We live in CT, and the closest one is in New Hampshire.  Not too bad, but not exactly like Texas!

[MooneyMitch]

My Ovation was transferred to another caretaker via this very forum site.   Peruse all sites mentioned by others, including MooneySpace.

[MooneyMitch]

Whoops, I just read your post thoroughly......regardless, a huge plus to MS as an avenue for my liquidation.

[bonal]

Well its on the other side of the country but Lake Aero has an E that has a fresh engine a nice looking one that they did a lot of rebuilding on many things

[carusoam]

http://www.lasar.com/sales/plane-sales.asp

See if they still have a mite for sale....

Best regards,

-a-

 

Edited April 8, 2017 by carusoam

[Godfather]

I think lots of people are looking for that magical $35-50k deal right now.  Four different ones that I was looking at moved to pending over the last couple of weeks.  People are ready to buy so you need to be fast if you find a good deal. 

[flight2000]

10 hours ago, Godfather said:

People are ready to buy so you need to be fast if you find a good deal. 

From my experience last year, this is very true and I cannot emphasize it enough.  Be ready to pull the trigger and really narrow down what you're looking for because paralysis by analysis is a very real disease....

The good ones go fast.  I've gone through this process twice now and the first time was kinda painful because I was spit balling what I wanted since I didn't really know.  Here's what I learned and added to the second buy.

- Make a list of must have's for the plane (range, useful load, avionics, engine times, etc)

- Make a second list of nice to have items (specific A/P's, type GPS, paint colors, etc)

- Have finances in order ahead of time (cash is king or finance if necessary)

- Once you start the process, make sure you know who you want to do the pre-buy/annual and where you want it done at

The more stuff you have in order before hand will make it easier and also show the seller you are serious and not wasting their time.

I feel your pain on looking everyday, but it has to be done if you're serious about buying.  I found 7 different aircraft that met all of my criteria over a 4 months period only to find that each of them were already in pre-buy when I called (5 V35's and 2 C210's).  The one I ended up buying was listed on controller.com for 2 days before I saw it and called the seller for more information and then give him a verbal commitment to buy pending the annual.  I remember that Saturday in August perfectly because I was in California with my wife for her masters swim meet and surfing Controller on my iPhone.  Showed her the pictures between her events and went from there.  After I closed the deal, the seller told me there were three other guys that called behind me in case I pulled out and the funny part is that the #2 in line actually offered $10K more than the asking price to make me "go away" so he could buy it....lol.  Seller was a stand up guy and I had my new bird. 

If you see airplanes languishing on those sites for a long time, there's generally two reasons.  1. it's overpriced and the seller is hoping to catch that one special buyer and/or 2. there's something wrong that everyone keeps finding and the seller won't fix.  Priced right, aircraft will move quickly, even if it has some minor issues.

My M20E spent 2 weeks on Controller and here on Mooneyspace (and other forums) before I sold it.

Just some random thoughts for you.

Cheers,

Brian

[Roger O]

Brian, thank you! your advice is spot on!  I have all the necessary points in order, just need to find the right plane.  My problem is that I'm a bit "gun shy" from buying a plane that turned out not to be all it was cracked up to be.  Even with a pre-buy, you really never know till you've had it for a while.  I guess that's why they call it "used".

[gsxrpilot]

I've got no interest in this plane and have never met the seller.  But just based on the specs, I'd buy this over any E for sale in the country right now.

Just my $0.02

[Dale Logsdon]

Found mine on eBay.

[Roger O]

30 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

I've got no interest in this plane and have never met the seller.  But just based on the specs, I'd buy this over any E for sale in the country right now.

Just my $0.02

Agreed, it's a beautiful plane, AND geographically fairly close, but unfortunately due to a right solder injury (as discussed in previous post), I need an electric gear model...  This one won't last, it's a goodie!

[M20F]

5 hours ago, Sherman18 said:

Agreed, it's a beautiful plane, AND geographically fairly close, but unfortunately due to a right solder injury (as discussed in previous post), I need an electric gear model...  This one won't last, it's a goodie!

Have you ever tried to swing a manual gear?  It really doesn't take much motion or strength to do.  

[Cruiser]

The good ones show up here first and don't last long.....

[zaitcev]

On 4/7/2017 at 2:20 PM, Sherman18 said:

Hi Everyone.  I am in the market again for a an older E in decent condition for my wife and myself.  Other than finding a seller on Mooneyspace, which of the online sites do you think are the best (e.g. Trade-A-Plane, Barnstormers, ASO etc.) and why?

For a buyer, it's not a big deal to visit all 4 (you forgot Controller). Mine came from Barnstormers, but could be any of them.

I processed the following number of leads for older C, F, G, and E models:

• Mooneyspace:     6
• Barnstormers:   22
• Controller:      6
• Trade-A-Plane:  17
• ASO:             0
• Other:           1

Regarding the need to be quick, it was not a problem. I only ended losing 1 airplane that was worth the trouble - from a guy in Wichita, who had essentially a full 2020 compatibility already, and was selling very inexpensively. Even if you do your rounds every week and contact sellers promptly, you'll still catch them.

Edited April 9, 2017 by zaitcev

[gsxrpilot]

I bought both of my Mooney's off Controller... Jimmy and David list their inventory there.

[Mooney Search]

There seems to be a lull in the market of available good Mooneys. I've been on the search for a 20j for a while. Preferably MSE. The MSEs on controller and trade a plane have alll been on there for an awefully long time. It seems that pricing is too high. I've looked at one in particular and it's a nice plane  but  owner is not willing to come off the price and it's been sitting there for about six months now.  That doesn't seem to be unique to the plane I'm speaking of. They are all in a similar price range and none of them are moving. I'm scratching my head 

[ArtVandelay]

I looked at Js for almost a year before buying, they are definitely higher now then they were back in 2013, probably a reflection of a better economy. If the owner doesn't have to sell, then they can afford to wait.
There was 1 J a few years ago I would consider average that listed $200,000, and it wasn't even a newer version.

[gitmo234]

On 4/8/2017 at 6:56 AM, Godfather said:

I think lots of people are looking for that magical $35-50k deal right now.  Four different ones that I was looking at moved to pending over the last couple of weeks.  People are ready to buy so you need to be fast if you find a good deal. 

I found this too and that was my price range. I had very specific requirements on avionics in a C or an E. Anytime I found one it went to pending almost immediately. That's why when I found the one I'm buying now I called immediately with my questions and put down a deposit and purchase agreement with 2 hours, pending standard contingencies (inspection, logbook review, etc etc)

[Roger O]

On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 7:02 PM, M20F said:

Have you ever tried to swing a manual gear?  It really doesn't take much motion or strength to do.  

Actually I have, I owned a '66 C.  It's not the strength, but the motion.  I'm afraid I'll injure it further.  My orthopedic doc also says, no to that kind of motion.