Please comment on this one for sale

[Buster1]

I've been narrowing my search, some of the 231s seem great from just reading online and looking at pics.  I'm focusing on Ks with the LB, and low time engines.  This one is a steal if you ask me.  Needs some interior TLC and glass though.  Can I get your thoughts?

http://www.aso.com/listings/spec/ViewAd.aspx?id=121911&listingType=true

[MattS]

The avionics are weak and I wonder when the engine was OH.  Most 231s are top overhauled around that time I think.  A quick check of the standard Mooney gotchas and it looks like a good buy.  I wonder if the last annual was done by Lasar?  There are a few shops throughout the country that I would consider good to go if they did the annual within the last couple of months. They are one of them. 

[Buster1]

Yeah, I was reading that Tops are common in the Ks if not flown properly.  Been reading about the merlyn wastegate, seems to be a better option, but not as nice as the Garrett fully auto gate.

[Parker_Woodruff]

That interior is struggling.  You might catch on fire if you sit in it too long.

I haven't paid attention to the 231 market too much in the past month, but I'm guessing you could find one with better equipment at a similar price.

[FlyDave]

That one has been on the market for a long time....you'd probably get it for less than $87K. That might make room in the budget for additional avionics - Although avionics and add up to big $$$ in a hurry!!!

[etekberg]

I am also in the market for a 231 and have viewed that ad:

Plus's:

Wastegate (a must have for me), Intercooler( also a must), speedbrakes, NDH, good a/p

Neg's:

interior (yuck!), No Garmin 430/530 ($10k right there), no engine monitor, no flight director (a must have for my future upgrade plans), old audio panel (i'd have to spend $ upgrading), no gami's

All-in-all seems like a fair asking price

[Carl S]

I have also been looking at that one on the internet with pretty much the same pluses and minuses that everyone else is mentioning. One other plus to me is the 0 SMOH prop. The ADF and the Loran are pretty much obsolete in my book if GPS WAAS is in place. The radar altimeter is interesting and not something I have seen in my (limited) searches so far.

Another area of concern - the last recorded flight on FlightAware was in December of 2008.  (http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N231KY)

Personally, I like the red leather - YMMV.

[Buster1]

Flight aware seems to only have IFR flights?  True?  If it hasn't flown in a year, it may be due/overdue for a top OH.  I like the red leather too!

[DonMuncy]

I also thought it was IFR only, but at least once, it tracked me on a VFR Flight Following flight.

Don

[jlunseth]

I have basically that exact plane, except it had an Apollo GX60 GPS and MX20, and not the Loran.  You should make sure to check both the KNS80 and KY197, but particularly the 197.  It was not a great radio to begin with and doesn't age well.  I purchased my plane subject to a fresh annual and the shop that did it really blew it as far as I am concerned.  It took alot of work to get the engine compartment in shape.  However it is a very nice plane.  On a quiet night about three weeks ago, I flew from KGFK to KFCM at 17500 on the built in supplemental O2 and saw 183 kts. on the GPS for awhile, no tailwind to speak of.  The rest of the time it was 177 kts.  I paid quite a bit less than 87 though.  I would want to have a Mooney service center do a pre-buy.  There are several perennial issues that you probably know about.  If you want information on what they are, send me a PM and I will be glad to oblige.  There are some very detailed AD inspections that need to be done, and it turns out alot of shops cut corners on those.  Tanks, frame, etc.  Also, those interiors are not cheap to redo.  The panels are very hard to find other than at retail.  They are very brittle and tend to crack.  I am looking at having my cracked repaired and recovered with fabric, the front seats refoamed and upholstered, and the windlace replaced, and the quote is 6k.  I would guess $8k to redo that interior, and that is cheap.  Most of the quotes and costs I have seen are for fully reupholstery and run 12-18K, 18 at the Mooney factory.

On the engine, I can't purport to have alot of experience, but what I am finding out is that lots of owners go the cheap route on engine maintenance and that is a big mistake with that particular engine.  Well maintained, with all the baffles and baffle sealing in place, the engine runs quite cool.  Badly maintained it quickly runs at high temps and you will have trouble.

[Rustler]

FlightAware tracks not only IFR but VFR flight following. I don't know for sure, but I think that one is tracked if assigned a discreet transponder code.

[The-sky-captain]

I always use flight following when flying VFR and Flightaware usually has me in the system about 75% of the time. I actually had a recent IFR flight where I did not show up on Flightaware . Go figure:)

[Flybeech21]

It depends on if ATC sets you up in the system or not.  If you got local flight following where you didn't get a hand off to another frequency, Flight aware wont show it.  If you got Flight Following set up all the way to your destination, its going to show up on flight aware.  I figured this out after I got the "service terminated, sqwak VFR" half way through a VFR trip and Flight Aware showed the flight terminated right where services were terminated.

[Carl S]

Quote: Buster1

I've been narrowing my search, some of the 231s seem great from just reading online and looking at pics.  I'm focusing on Ks with the LB, and low time engines.  This one is a steal if you ask me.  Needs some interior TLC and glass though.  Can I get your thoughts?

http://www.aso.com/listings/spec/ViewAd.aspx?id=121911&listingType=true

[Buster1]

hard to tell the N number.  I entered a few and found N231CF...came up with a 231 from Maine...so that could be it.  Looks to have had a hard landing, prop damage and nose gear damage in 1981.  Though very old damage, it's an ok price.  She's going to need an OH in about a year or two I would guess.  1800 TBO on those motors.

Can you explain the AMU part of your message?  I'm not familiar.

[KSMooniac]

Buster, AMU = Aviation Monetary Unit.  You might know it as $1000 today, but after you become an owner you'll fully understand AMU.    Sometimes each AMU must be offset by a JMU if your finance committee is chaired by a female...

[FlyDave]

Quote: Buster1

Flight aware seems to only have IFR flights?  True?  If it hasn't flown in a year, it may be due/overdue for a top OH.  I like the red leather too!

[georgeb]

Quote: FlyDave