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I am asking for advice - M20C - 1969


Bart

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Interested in working with a well respected sales team for used Mooney aircraft?

you will at least avoid funky pricing strategies...

Looking at the barnstormers plane pictures... it is missing a lot of what people want in their first plane... a color screen would go well with that premium price...

Do some online shopping to see what Mooneys have been updated with...

Get a feel for baseline prices...

write a list of top10 important things to have in your plane...

Build your pricing strategy...

Told you.... buying a plane to meet your needs isn’t going to be easy...   :)

Hit the inventory button on this website... it does a lot of Mooney searching for you... 

http://www.allamericanaircraft.com/default.htm

You will also find Controller lists real planes by real owners... Barnstormers often (not always) is used in a different way... by different people... it also a great place for low buck projects... low buck for acquisition...

PP thoughts only, 

-a-

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Bart,

I know this will be hard to believe, as I probably would not have believed it when I started looking to buy a plane. (I almost died thinking about spending $1000 on a pre-buy, knowing it could not be recouped if I did not buy the plane)  But the purchase price is almost insignificant in the ownership picture. An extra $20,000 on the sales price gets lost during the next few years as you have to install stuff, repair stuff, pay insurance, have annual inspections and all the other stuff it takes to fly. I know; anyone who says $20,000 is insignificant must be either rich, stupid or both, but sadly enough, in most cases it is true. Virtually every one of us here appreciates the necessity of not overspending on anything, but be careful of what the cheap plane you find does not have, needs updating, requires repair, etc.

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8 minutes ago, DonMuncy said:

Bart,

I know this will be hard to believe, as I probably would not have believed it when I started looking to buy a plane. (I almost died thinking about spending $1000 on a pre-buy, knowing it could not be recouped if I did not buy the plane)  But the purchase price is almost insignificant in the ownership picture. An extra $20,000 on the sales price gets lost during the next few years as you have to install stuff, repair stuff, pay insurance, have annual inspections and all the other stuff it takes to fly. I know; anyone who says $20,000 is insignificant must be either rich, stupid or both, but sadly enough, in most cases it is true. Virtually every one of us here appreciates the necessity of not overspending on anything, but be careful of what the cheap plane you find does not have, needs updating, requires repair, etc.

I concur. If you want to buy cheap, take the money you have, and split it in half. Put one half in your left pocket. The other half in the right. 

The right pocket will be your max purchase price. The left will be what you will spend on repairs in the first year. 

 

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4 hours ago, SheryLoewen said:

Looks good ,low engine time, late model "C" BUT....has a 3 blade prop--not good---did it have a prop strike & properly dealt with? A 2 blade will give you better performance.

My C had a low time engine (182 hours), and a 4-year-prior gear up--which gave it a one-piece belly and 3-blade Hartzell. It outclimbs most 200 hp planes and still cruises at 147 KTAS. And I have a functional speed brake on the nose when I want it.  :)

Just make sure everything was fixed properly, often you will get extras like I got.

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I have a 3 blade on my D model. It is very smooth running. Maybe I just got lucky but I've had it off 4 times in 17 years and it always runs smooth when back on. 

In reality, what you spend on purchasing a plane will only be half of what you spend total over the next ten years (maybe 5 years) so just plan on it. Flying (even in the Mooney world ain't cheap). Put it this way, how many 50 year old chevys would you buy and then set off on a 500-1,000 mile trip right away? Its the same with 50 year old airplanes, You gotta wait to find the right one. 

There's a phrase- "Life is hard, its even harder when you're stupid"

Don't make the mistakes of some others by jumping in without learning about what you're doing. The education you gain by looking for 6 months to a year and reading log books (even on airplanes you are not interested in) will give you a real advantage when you find the right candidate. Looking is half the fun and exhilarating  when you find the right one and YOU know its the right one.

You've never been in this world before so take your time and learn - grasshopper :-)

Lots of help here from past threads and people who want your experience to be a good one. 

Slow down and enjoy the ride!

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I have a 3 blade on my D model. It is very smooth running. Maybe I just got lucky but I've had it off 4 times in 17 years and it always runs smooth when back on. 
In reality, what you spend on purchasing a plane will only be half of what you spend total over the next ten years (maybe 5 years) so just plan on it. Flying (even in the Mooney world ain't cheap). Put it this way, how many 50 year old chevys would you buy and then set off on a 500-1,000 mile trip right away? Its the same with 50 year old airplanes, You gotta wait to find the right one. 
There's a phrase- "Life is hard, its even harder when you're stupid"
Don't make the mistakes of some others by jumping in without learning about what you're doing. The education you gain by looking for 6 months to a year and reading log books (even on airplanes you are not interested in) will give you a real advantage when you find the right candidate. Looking is half the fun and exhilarating  when you find the right one and YOU know its the right one.
You've never been in this world before so take your time and learn - grasshopper :-)
Lots of help here from past threads and people who want your experience to be a good one. 
Slow down and enjoy the ride!


I bought my M20C in 2002. N9341V is a 70 model build in 1969. Since I bought the plane I must have invested at least twice the purchase price in upgrades.

I also have a three blade prop. Great speed brake, runs smoothly but I would love to get a two blade to get more performance out of it.

However, I must say that the airplane did serve me well. Although it is not the fastest Mooney around, nor the most confortable (specially for the backseat passengers) it is a great plane.

I flew from the US to Central America, doing for example Key West to San Salvador 811 miles non stop at 13,000 feet in 7 hours (headwind of 10 miles/h). After 7 hours I was ready to arrive but I was not exhausted.

Annuals and maintenance are mostly reasonable. The only issue I had (and still have) are my CHTs. They are high and although I have been able to tame them, they are still high.

So, I am a big fan of M20Cs.

Oscar




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The most I've done is 5+20 in my D model but I was REALLY ready to get out and stretch. I don't do well driving for long distances either without stopping. I know of a guy who did KTUS to Columbus Ohio nonstop in a little over 8 hrs in his E. He said he was pulled way back on power and FF and had very little left when he got there. He was up in the mid teens with a tailwind also. 

The short body is a great 2 place traveler and an occasional 3 or 4 place for us. I've had 4 in only once in 17 years. 3 several times. Its mostly just for the 2 of us to travel in and it does very well in that regard.  The best for $$$ invested and $$$ for cost per mile. 

 

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My buddy and I bought an airplane together and got lucky.  We got a C model fairly reasonable.  It has a 3 bladed prop, climbs well, has decent cruise speeds, we are averaging about 145 KTAS.  We bought ours from a Mooney Service Center and have been really pleased.  Airmods was great to deal with!  Even had a local guy do our prebuy, @orionflt and all were great to work with.  I will say this, there are decent deals out there, but you have to be able to jump on it quick.  I will also say, the 3 bladed prop is nice, it helps you slow down being your first Mooney, and you will learn that you plan your decents early but they are sure fun to fly.  I start to get a feeling that the 3 bladed prop vs 2 bladed is as good as a subject as a Johnson Bar vs Electric gear :-)  Good luck on your search and you will find the right Mooney for you!  

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