Thinking of purchasing Mooney

[dvictory]

I am looking to purchase a Mooney, but would like opinions please.  I owned a Piper 235 and have a little over 100 hours.  Would a Mooney be a good plane, and if so, which model?  I've read pros and cons and not seeing anything that would keep me from buying, but what am I missing?  Thanks all for any thoughts, good and bad.

[Hank]

Welcome aboard, @dvictory.

The first question us What is your mission? Flight distance, number of people, baggage, mountains or not?

If you just want to beat Cherokee 6 speed, even my little C will do that, but it has about half the cabin space you're used to.

 

[Danb]

Obviously your on a Mooney forum asking if it’d be a good plane, first off questions answer is no it’d be a great plane. I went from a Piper Cherokee to two J models then a Bravo and now an Acclaim. Your choice should be your mission, I hate that word, or your intended use.

Speed efficiency or both. As far as comfort in my opinion I’m very comfy in mine and was in all my others. A 201 is a great trade of speed vs efficiency. Your 235 hauled quite a load albeit on a lot of fuel and minimal speed. A 201 should give you 150-158 Knots at say 10gph, if you need a turbo you’ve got the premium Encore up to an Acclaim. 

You’ll get a lot of real world opinions here remembering we’re bias toward our brand. Good luck and enjoy the hunt for your plane.

D

[dvictory]

My intended use: my wife and I have houses in Virginia and South Carolina and want to remove the 5 hour car drive.  Other than that, doing some weekend golf trips, fun flights, and visiting family within a few hours flight.  

[MikeOH]

1 minute ago, dvictory said:

My intended use: my wife and I have houses in Virginia and South Carolina and want to remove the 5 hour car drive.  Other than that, doing some weekend golf trips, fun flights, and visiting family within a few hours flight.  

Based on that length of trip, and your location (low altitudes) I'd go with a F or J.  Newer models will be faster but not enough to matter on what looks to be a 250 mile trip.  No need for the turbo.

The F will be the lower cost option.  The J is a little faster (if both are stock) but you'll pay a premium.

Full disclosure: I own an F

[1980Mooney]

@dvictory Low time pilots with similar missions have asked this question before.  These might help:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2024 by 1980Mooney

[Paul Thomas]

Picking an airplane for someone else is difficult. We can say that some airplanes won't work for some missions. With your missions, most planes will work. On shorter flights, speed and efficiency don't matter as much. You should look at a few aircrafts to decide what you like. I like the Mooney but there are people I can't fly with because they can't get in/out when they could in a Cardinal.

Why did you sell the 235? It seems it would have worked for your mission.

[NickG]

1 hour ago, dvictory said:

I am looking to purchase a Mooney, but would like opinions please.  I owned a Piper 235 and have a little over 100 hours.  Would a Mooney be a good plane, and if so, which model?  I've read pros and cons and not seeing anything that would keep me from buying, but what am I missing?  Thanks all for any thoughts, good and bad.

I sold my Cherokee 235 and bought an Ovation. I had 500+ hours and an instrument rating.

I love my Ovation and wouldn't swap it for any other bird. I will say however that transitioning from a 235 to an Ovation was not easy and it took me literally 40 hours of transition training before I felt comfortable. The sight picture, performance, landing etc were very different and it took a while for me to "unlearn" my Cherokee 235 habits (like big flares etc). You ABSOLUTELY should upgrade to a Mooney (whatever model) - just be prepared for a learning curve and make sure you have a Mooney CFII lined up!!!!

You'll love it.

[KLRDMD]

1 hour ago, NickG said:

. . . just be prepared for a learning curve and make sure you have a Mooney CFII lined up!!!!

This ^

[laytonl]

2 hours ago, dvictory said:

My intended use: my wife and I have houses in Virginia and South Carolina and want to remove the 5 hour car drive.  Other than that, doing some weekend golf trips, fun flights, and visiting family within a few hours flight.  

I have a similar situation,  I live in NW Georgia and have place in Atlantic Beach Fl, which is about a 6.5 hour drive.  We make the 260nm trip in the Mooney (m20J) in about 1:45.  We fly this trip about every 6 weeks.  When the Mooney is home, my son uses it for business trips.  It’s a great two person airplane.  In my opinion, it’s not comfortable with all seats occupied.  However, my son routinely takes his family of four (2 teenagers) in the Mooney.

 

lee

[dvictory]

1 hour ago, Paul Thomas said:

Picking an airplane for someone else is difficult. We can say that some airplanes won't work for some missions. With your missions, most planes will work. On shorter flights, speed and efficiency don't matter as much. You should look at a few aircrafts to decide what you like. I like the Mooney but there are people I can't fly with because they can't get in/out when they could in a Cardinal.

Why did you sell the 235? It seems it would have worked for your mission.

Understand your comments, however, more looking for pros and cons. 

[dvictory]

7 minutes ago, laytonl said:

I have a similar situation,  I live in NW Georgia and have place in Atlantic Beach Fl, which is about a 6.5 hour drive.  We make the 260nm trip in the Mooney (m20J) in about 1:45.  We fly this trip about every 6 weeks.  When the Mooney is home, my son uses it for business trips.  It’s a great two person airplane.  In my opinion, it’s not comfortable with all seats occupied.  However, my son routinely takes his family of four (2 teenagers) in the Mooney.

 

lee

Great info!!!!  Thank you

[NickG]

1 minute ago, dvictory said:

Understand your comments, however, more looking for pros and cons. 

Question #1 - what's your budget?

[dvictory]

Just now, NickG said:

Question #1 - what's your budget?

Up to about $125k

[dvictory]

1 hour ago, NickG said:

I sold my Cherokee 235 and bought an Ovation. I had 500+ hours and an instrument rating.

I love my Ovation and wouldn't swap it for any other bird. I will say however that transitioning from a 235 to an Ovation was not easy and it took me literally 40 hours of transition training before I felt comfortable. The sight picture, performance, landing etc were very different and it took a while for me to "unlearn" my Cherokee 235 habits (like big flares etc). You ABSOLUTELY should upgrade to a Mooney (whatever model) - just be prepared for a learning curve and make sure you have a Mooney CFII lined up!!!!

You'll love it.

Nice!!  I do have a CFI local that I plan to spend many hours with learning how the Mooney handles.

[Slick Nick]

1 minute ago, dvictory said:

Understand your comments, however, more looking for pros and cons. 

The biggest pro that you’d notice coming from a 235 is the speed and efficiency. The 540 in your Cherokee drinks a LOT of gas and doesn’t fly very fast while doing it. A Mooney will go faster, burn less gas, not to mention look a lot better doing it. 

[NickG]

6 minutes ago, dvictory said:

Up to about $125k

Looks like there are some J's in that range. Best performance/efficiency for the price out there.

[Schllc]

27 minutes ago, laytonl said:

It’s a great two person airplane.  In my opinion, it’s not comfortable with all seats occupied.  However, my son routinely takes his family of four (2 teenagers) in the Mooney.

Not really a disagreement with this statement but context is important. 
would you rather be mildly cramped in a plane for three hours, or in a car for 14 hours. 
that is the choice myself, wire and two daughters have. 
so is it spacious and plush, no..

is it worth avoiding a 14 hour drive?  YES!!!

[Slick Nick]

1 minute ago, NickG said:

Looks like there are some J's out there in that range. Best performance/efficiency for the price out there.

That was the conclusion I came to when I started the search for my airplane. Sure, other models of Mooney fly faster, farther, and higher, but the J model is the best “bang for the buck” out there. Doesn’t mean I don’t want an Acclaim one day though!

[A64Pilot]

When you say Piper 235, I guess that’s a Cherokee 6?

How long ago did you have it, and why are you thinking Mooney?

Flight time wise the difference between the two over a couple hundred miles isn’t much, but if your taking clubs etc on those golf trips it’s going to be a whole lot different in a Mooney. Now start talking flying to Colorado, Texas or something then yes it makes a big difference.

I don’t golf so I assume they will fit, but think it’s not easy, possibly hard on the interior etc, whereas a 6 you can even fit a coffin as I had a friend that used to fly deceased people back home to be buried. Heck you could probably fit a house refrigerator in one leaving the front baggage area for several suitcases. Back when my Parents had a C model my Mother packed in pillow cases as there wasn’t the room they had in the C-210 they used to have, it’s really downsizing.

It is very much like moving from a pickup or maybe big SUV to a Miata or other smallish sports car.

They are very different machines.

Find one to rent or maybe somebody teaches in one or something and get several hours in one to see if you still like it.

[NickG]

5 minutes ago, A64Pilot said:

When you say Piper 235, I guess that’s a Cherokee 6?

No, a 235 is a standard Cherokee with an O540 (downrated to make max 235HP). A little bit longer nose to accommodate the larger engine, but other than that, same size/form as a Cherokee 180. Got a fuselage extension in the 70's and eventually morphed into the Piper Dakota (with the newer wing form).

 Cruise speed for a 235 around 135KTAS WOT with about 16 GPH burn. Great useful load though, aircraft can haul around its own weight. Was Piper's answer to the 182.

[dvictory]

12 minutes ago, A64Pilot said:

When you say Piper 235, I guess that’s a Cherokee 6?

How long ago did you have it, and why are you thinking Mooney?

Flight time wise the difference between the two over a couple hundred miles isn’t much, but if your taking clubs etc on those golf trips it’s going to be a whole lot different in a Mooney. Now start talking flying to Colorado, Texas or something then yes it makes a big difference.

I don’t golf so I assume they will fit, but think it’s not easy, possibly hard on the interior etc, whereas a 6 you can even fit a coffin as I had a friend that used to fly deceased people back home to be buried. Heck you could probably fit a house refrigerator in one leaving the front baggage area for several suitcases. Back when my Parents had a C model my Mother packed in pillow cases as there wasn’t the room they had in the C-210 they used to have, it’s really downsizing.

It is very much like moving from a pickup or maybe big SUV to a Miata or other smallish sports car.

They are very different machines.

Find one to rent or maybe somebody teaches in one or something and get several hours in one to see if you still like it.

The 235 is a 4 seater and smaller than the 6.  From what I've read, the Mooney may be a tad bigger than the 235.  

[NickG]

4 minutes ago, dvictory said:

The 235 is a 4 seater and smaller than the 6.  From what I've read, the Mooney may be a tad bigger than the 235.  

Depends which Mooney and which year 235. The long body 235's (1973 onwards) would probably be equivalent in size to a mid Body Moooney (J model, K model and F?). The short bodied Mooneys will be a littel bit tighter than a pre 1973 235. Mooneys are actually about 1.5" wide in the cockpit than the Cherokee though. You sit in  a Mooney like a sports car so everything just seems to work better. 

[AndreiC]

I had a Cherokee 180 for 10 years and then moved to a 1970 M20E. The 180 could haul a bit more, and could be flown to more grass strips than the Mooney. It had better visibility from the cockpit (bigger windows) and felt a bit less cramped in the front (the wheel well for the nose wheel takes up some space between the front seats). The back seats were more useable in the Cherokee, though not by a lot; however, the F and J models suggested will have more room in the back as well.

But after a while (took me about 4-5 months to warm up to the Mooney) I love how the Mooney flies and how efficient it is. The Cherokee was barely a 110 kt bird. The Mooney is at 145 kt on about the same amount of fuel. This means the difference between a 4 hour and a 3 hour flight to Madison-Nashville, which I do to visit my son. It also can go much higher, the 180 could barely climb above 11k, I have had the Mooney comfortably above 16k and could have kept climbing; this made a big difference for me in the mountains.

But some of my feelings for the Mooney could also be a factor of the accoutrements -- the Mooney has a nice autopilot with altitude hold while the Cherokee had none, WAAS GPS, nice engine monitor... These all make quite a difference. But certainly the Mooney feels more like a traveling machine (albeit sports-car like) than a trainer.

 

[MikeOH]

1 hour ago, NickG said:

Looks like there are some J's in that range. Best performance/efficiency for the price out there.

As an F owner, I'm going to take issue with that!  I posit that the F is 95% of J at 80% the cost and is, therefore, the best 'bang for the buck'

I think the OP would be happy with either one.  Just depends what comes up in a timely fashion while he's shopping, IMHO.