Tmart Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 Hi guys, my name is Tim I'm new here and am looking to buy a mooney for my wife and me. She is an instrument-rated private pilot, and I fly for a living. We are moving to BVY Mass, and I was looking for something I can fly back and for to FRG for work. Should I just spend the extra money and get a J or a K? or go with an older F? Thanks guys Quote
gsengle Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 BVY to FRG is a quick flight in any Mooney (im based at 7b2 and go into FRG now and then)Either will do, from a speed perspective. I think your bigger issue is dispatch rate for work. How flexible is your commute?Personally I'd focus on good avionics and redundancy. At least a 430w and reliable autopilot.I have a M20R that is fiki. Icing may impact your dispatch rate a chunk of the year.Just some thoughts.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
ArtVandelay Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 Are you going to need FIKI? I assume Mass gets it's share of icing conditions. Quote
Tmart Posted June 8, 2017 Author Report Posted June 8, 2017 I most likely will drive during the icy weather. Just want the best bang for my buck. Quote
Yetti Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 F is the best bang for buck. J is a bit faster than an F but you pay a bit more. People will say the J is the perfect Mooney 3 Quote
gsengle Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 Personally I'd stretch to a J, but not at the expense of a good panel. And many pre J Mooneys have been modded quite a bit so you have to take that into account... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote
gsxrpilot Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 The question is what can you afford. Or what is the budget. C = Best budget Mooney E = Hot Rod of vintage Mooneys F = Only if you must have 5" in the back seat and can't afford a J J = The best value in normally aspirated Mooneys (Best value East of the big river) K 252/Encore = The best value in Turbo Mooneys (West of the river, you're gonna want one) Shift Tax Brackets... Bravo = Best value for Long Body Turbos (personal airliner) Ovation = Long Body for the East Coast Acclaim = Just because I can, or Money is no object On the east coast, I'd recommend the best J you can find. Get one with a good autopilot, WAAS GPS, and HSI or Glass. 12 Quote
RobertGary1 Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 The F and J are identical aside from some speed mods. Not worth the extra money for J unless you need the extra 10ish knots. Many people think the J introduced a lot more (side windows, flush handles etc) but all those things were actually introduced in the F. -Robert Quote
Lance Keve Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 Welcome Tim! Not much to add that the others haven't said. But, message me when you get to BVY, or before, as I live in Beverly and my '66E is based there. I regularly flew to central Jersey and it was, to me, a quick trip, so FRG would be even quicker. There a number of other Mooney's on the field, not all on MooneySpace (that I know of). Regards, Lance 1 Quote
M20F-1968 Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 Tim: I thought I would say welcome. I am the owner of a highly modified F (now essentially a turbo normalized J, with modern avionics and manual gear). I am located in the westerns suburbs of Boston (Newton/Needham/Wellesley area. Not knowing what your situations is, a turbonormalized F or J can be a great airplane for simplicity, maintenance and without compromising much else. John Breda Quote
LANCECASPER Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 Occasionally a J or K model comes up that has inadvertent de-ice (FIKI not available on a J and only available on 28V K's with dual alternators). In that part of the country it would be nice to have just in case. On the used market the TKS adds a little to the price (10,000 - 15,000 ??) but how many times would you have to use it to get out of icing conditions to make it worthwhile? Quote
Zwaustin Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 Go K model 231 or 252, killer bang for the buck. 1 Quote
peevee Posted June 8, 2017 Report Posted June 8, 2017 There are always the missile and rocket. Rockets a bit like a budget bravo Quote
Bartman Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 (edited) 1 hour flight and backp plan to drive in the winter. Lots of nice options in the C, E, and F models. Lots of them highly modified too. If this defines the mission profile and only 2 people, then I'd go with the C or E model. If you are looking for best bang for the buck then look here. Edited June 9, 2017 by Bartman Quote
RobertGary1 Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 33 minutes ago, HRM said: Only the E's are Super... But only the F is "executive". -Robert 1 Quote
gsengle Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 Evidently my R is a "Special Edition"Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote
HRM Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 12 hours ago, RobertGary1 said: But only the F is "executive". 4 Quote
RobertGary1 Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 1 minute ago, HRM said: One is a fantasy. -Robert 1 Quote
Bob_Belville Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 Tim, from the replies above you might get the impression that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (Except for Paul's entertaining, and pretty accurate, summary.) For 2 pilots expecting to fly a lot of IMC in busy airspace I'd be looking at the panels more than the model suffix. Even the J was introduced 40 years ago so I'd would not be looking at anything that had not had a major panel upgrade in the past 8 years. 2 Quote
steingar Posted June 9, 2017 Report Posted June 9, 2017 If it's just the OP and his main squeeze why the need for the big back seat? The vintage Mooneys give a LOT of bang for the buck. Most of the speed for about half the price. Though I suspect finding one with more than a bare bones IFR panel might be a chore. 1 Quote
carusoam Posted June 11, 2017 Report Posted June 11, 2017 The F seams to be the most upgradable over time... The O comes ready-to-fly... The E is perfect for the retired set... Any Mooney is great for that run. A Fiki Mooney is the best for commuting. Being familiar with Great Lakes related weather will be important. Lots of water gets raised from The in-frozen lakes and dumped over Buffalo, to all the way out east sometimes... Best regards, -a- Quote
Lance Keve Posted June 12, 2017 Report Posted June 12, 2017 I met Tim and his wife yesterday at Beverly airport and would like to say they are both fantastic people that we need to help get into a Mooney of some sort. There wasn't time for a ride, however, the offer is open for any other time. They looked at my E, my hangar mate's E, and a J on the line. We discussed some points, but only scratched the surface. Tim - Let me know if I can fill in any more gaps in info. I know I thought of a few other things to mention after we separated yesterday. Of course MooneySpace has an incredible amount of historical posts with lots of helpful information too. Regards, Lance Quote
BradB Posted June 13, 2017 Report Posted June 13, 2017 Would second what some of the others said about icing. I picked up ice this weekend flying into Hanscom (KBED) at 11k on the decent. Granted it was light and I didn't even turn on the TKS, as I was heading down - but it is still out there in June. I am not familiar enough with FRG to know the altitudes that you will be traveling. Brad Quote
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