Mooney Prospecting -- Mooney Mart?

[PTK]

You need to have an open mind and approach this with the common sense any business transaction deserves. I would keep all options open. You just might find a good airplane at Mooneymart! Similarly you will not necessarily find your dream airplane at All American or any other used lot! You just never know. 

The best way, in my opinion, to find airplane is to talk to reputable MSC's. They see a lot of Mooneys and they know their owners! Dugosh is a top notch MSC. There are others. They often know of airplanes coming for sale before you see them listed. This will enable you to deal with the seller directly. Also any deposit you send be sure it is to an escrow account and after a signed contract. Often times inexperienced buyers place all their trust in "Mooney gurus" and turn themselves into sitting ducks for the taking! Be careful who you trust. How much trust would you place in used car salesman?

[David Mazer]

allsmiles, with all due respect, there is no way to find any Mooney at Mooney Mart one should buy.  I know of one airplane that has been paid for by the customer but undeliverable for the last 3 years because Coy stiffed the subcontractor and they won't release the plane.  I know of another where an engine rebuild was paid to Coy but he didn't pay the rebuilder and the owner had to pay a second time.  Under no circumstances should anyone ever trust Coy Jacobs with their money or their life.  There are few certainties in life but one of them is that you will have a more satisfied life if you never deal with Coy Jacobs!

[Jamosu72]

Thanks much everyone. Perhaps I am losing my mind, but did I read on here in the last three days about someone buying a plane form All American and flying around Texas for some training? Was that on a different thread? (I'm looking for the salesman?) Thanks. And if I have distilled this information correctly, Coy Jacobs might be suspect?

[rangermb]

"Perhaps I am losing my mind, but did I read on here in the last three days about someone buying a plane form All American and flying around Texas for some training?"

That would be me...

I did a lot of Internet shopping before actually getting my hands on some planes. I had a Cherokee 180 for about 12 years and decided the time was right to move up in complexity and speed. I spent a lot of time looking into the exact model I wanted. Saw a lot of ads. Learned to read between the lines (people generally don't put a one piece belly and three blade prop on unless something bad happened to the originals). Once i was focused, I made a list of the most likely prospects and started traveling.

In early November, I visited with Dave McGee at All American. The guy has a lifetime of experience in Mooneys and is a great source of information. We flew one of the planes I was interested in for about an hour. Took it home to Kerrville so I could try a landing (the plane was sitting at their hanger at Kestral, a pretty hair raising runway for a Mooney newby). We talked a bit and I thanked him for his time. Very matter-of-fact, no pushy sales effort. He understood that I was serious and wanted to make sure I got the best plane for my needs and budget. I think that secretly he knew I would be back! And, after looking at some others in different places, I was. I bought a nice 1977 J with a very recent overhaul, new prop and great cosmetics. Wanting to be careful, I got a pre-buy on the plane. A couple of things popped up, which were addressed by Dave as "of course we will fix those" things. Half-way through the training hours, the #2 com/nav radio went toes up. Dave didn't hesitate to come through with a replacement and Bob and I slipped it in for an easy fix.

Dave not only made the transaction very easy, he also hooked me up with Bob Cabe for transition training. Bob is truly an outstanding instructor. We flew all around the San Antonio area. Big airports, small airports. Wide runways and narrow strips. I learned an awful lot and also experienced some of the best BBQ I've ever had. After spending 2 days with Bob, I had no issues with launching from SAT to bring my plane back to NW Indiana.

I can't really speak to the whole Mooney Mart issue, but I can say that if All American has a bird you are interested in, it's worth the plane ticket to pay them a visit.

Mike

[Shadrach]

Quote: mooney2201

i have a 78 j model mooney,i love this airplane  with all my heart,however if you get any earlier model e or f ..you wont be satisfied,youll keep pouring money into it to get it to a 201j model..just take your time in this market plenty of good 201s exist,,,be very careful of leaking tanks,,corrosion under pilots side window,and tail trim bushings worn,very expensive..please please do a pre purchase inspection on the airframe,from a very reputible mooney dealer,,,,worth you spending 1500.00 up front,not to find a 10.000 dollar repair at your first annual,,remember pay me now or pay me later ,you choose anyway good hunting......

[fantom]

...and no worries about Maxwell doing yet another PPI on an All American plane. He, actually they, are as honest professionals as you will ever find in General Aviation. Good luck!

[DrBill]

I bought my Mooney in July.  I looked for about 3 -4 months before I found what I wanted.  I had co-owned a Beech Sundowner for 8 years so I kind of knew what I wanted. I followed 4-6 websites daily. I wanted one within driving distance so I could go look at it without spending a lot of $. I watched Barnstormers, MAPA, Controller, AOPA, and a few other smaller ones including All American and another one in TX.  I found my hit on Controller.  It was listed by a broker in Ky but the plane was in NC.  Only on the Controller ad was that specified (not even on the ad of the broker site !).

My prime interest was avionics and hours (tot and smoh). I made a spreadsheet of all interesting planes and when I came upon a new one I'd add it to the list, rate the categories 1-5 and the sum up the ratings. After a few weeks, this plane stayed on top.  So I went to look at it and the rest is history.  The categories were avionics, price, location(i stayed away from salt air environments), general exterior condition, interior condition, color, total hours, smoh hours.

Worked for me.

BILL

 

 

[DrBill]

Quote: Jamosu72

Thanks much everyone. Perhaps I am losing my mind, but did I read on here in the last three days about someone buying a plane form All American and flying around Texas for some training? Was that on a different thread? (I'm looking for the salesman?) Thanks. And if I have distilled this information correctly, Coy Jacobs might be suspect?

[ToddDPT]

Rangermb,

I had the same experience with All American. We purchased our 77' 201 sight unseen after a pre buy from Don Maxwell's shop. It was well equipped with an Aspen and a 430. They arranged training for us with one of the Mooney test pilots. David told me he was "patient as an oyster" and boy was he especially with me transitioning from a Cherokee 180 and C-172. During our training the trim started to be finicky. They gave us the parts for the new electric trim and we flew back with it and had it installed by our local shop. They paid the whole bill. About a month into ownership we were having a problem with the 430W screen was fading during flight and when we contacted them they shipped us a new one and paid for the installation. Top notch service. We will use them again. 

[jwilkins]

 

1. Another comment about All American:

I've bought two planes from them and will buy my next one from them, too.

Both times I talked to Jimmy Garrison, told him what I thought I wanted and what my budget was. Jimmy was ultra patient working through the pros and cons of my far-flung options to help me focus down to a realistic and appropriate choice. I took a little time but Dave and Jimmy let me know when they had a plane that was a good fit. When I bought the M20K I spent a lot of time with Dave Mcgee and found him to be just as competent and honest as I already knew Jimmy to be. I know it seems like an odd approach to partner with them to find a good fit instead of shopping what they have that month, but, with a little patience, it worked for me. 

I don't think of either Jimmy or Dave as 'salesmen'; they are professionals who are principals in their business, and experts in Mooneys. Their business may be to sell airplanes, but they are NOT salesmen. Both of them are more consultants than sales guys. When I first saw 1MS in person I was pleased how good it looked. Jimmy kept describing it as 'Not nearly as nice as your plane' so I was expecting something pretty ratty. His description was very conservative and the cosmetics are actually better than I expected. Just what you want from a consultant. Not what you'd expect from a salesman.

2. Maxwell and All American: Although Jimmy and All American handled the discussions with Don Maxwell, what I heard was All American asking advice on the RIGHT way to handle issues; there was no collusion to try to cut corners. The fact that AAA and Maxwell work together shows mutual respect for two industry experts. 

Jim

 

[DaV8or]

Also with in very close range of AAA is SWTA and Dugosh. You have a lot of good choices in MSCs in Texas.

[rainman]

Just wanted to add that I found the e-book on airplane purchase and Mooneys very useful.  I found it at the Mooneyland website.  Also, wanted to note that I also had Bob Cabe as my transition instructor and he was very professional and I even did some refresher training with him later.  Hope this helps. Buy the Mooney that fits your mission.

[HTAMD]

It has been a number of years since I dealt with Coy Jacobs, so my experience may not reflect what he is like today. My experience with Coy and Money Mart suggests that he and his organization are dishonest.  Coy has happy to take my money, but he did not deliver the plane--and was never going to. To get my money back, I had to sue him; it was expensive and distressing. He was forced to refund the money, but of course, it was now net of a large legal fee. It was a very disagreeable experience.

[fantom]

....It was a very disagreeable experience.

 

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard a story like that, I could purchase a TBM.

 

I used to wonder how someone with such a reputation stayed in business, but given what's occuring in our capital, I wonder no more. What is it P.T. Barnum said about suckers?

 

[The-sky-captain]

I love that this thread got revived.

[SkyBound]

I had the same experience with Coy.  It's comforting to hear that mine is not unique.  I have been trying to buy a Deluxe Mooney Buyer's Kit since October 2012.  Coy has been very friendly on the phone and in e-mail responses saying that he will gather the materials and contact me in a few days. However after four months of trying (it is now February 2013) still no luck...

[John Pursell]

I don't know where Coy is operating out of these days. The location in Sarasota has been taken over by different folks with a different name. They have posted here in other threads.

[David Mazer]

I don't care where Coy operates as long as everyone we can warn knows to stay away from him.  I can't imagine his advice on how to buy an airplane would be of any value.  Advice from someone without ethics is advice not to be trusted.

[John Pleisse]

All American, D-Maxwell, Premier, Delta and several other brokerages(Kent Cook, Wild Blue)....................their all good fellows and straight shooters trying to make a living. As for Mr. Jacob, keep snooping around online.