Shadrach Posted Sunday at 05:11 PM Report Posted Sunday at 05:11 PM 29 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said: No, it lived in a hangar at KDVT. The metal will last forever. It was 10 years out of annual. It was mostly the victim of a lot of bad maintenance. The cables were all slack, the pulleys were all stuck. The steering springs were from the Ace Hardware. The strut leaked from everywhere. The engine leaked from everywhere. Which are precisely the kind of squawks you want in an old fixer upper. Corrosion?…not so much. 1
N201MKTurbo Posted Sunday at 05:18 PM Report Posted Sunday at 05:18 PM 4 minutes ago, Shadrach said: What is precisely the kind of squawks you want in an old fixer upper. Corrosion?…not so much. And the paint was crap, that’s why I didn’t get $60k for it. The new owner flys it almost daily. I couldn’t be happier. That plane needed some exercise. 1
1980Mooney Posted Monday at 02:46 AM Report Posted Monday at 02:46 AM (edited) On 8/13/2025 at 11:52 PM, Ted_G said: Greetings All, New member here. I have seen that there is a wealth of knowledge on this forum and so I wanted to finally tap in. My aviation experience is CFI with 475TT and over 100 hours in Piper Arrows (Mooney>Arrow). Anyways, I am looking at buying a 1977 M20J that is currently unairworthy for $45k. The price is negotiable. The aircraft is located in West Virginia. I am located out of Maryland and have actually seen the airplane in person. It hasn't flown since 2011 but the current owner started to do a lot to get it airworthy again before he lost the A&P that he was working with. The current owner replaced the tubes, tires, brakes, and rotors. He also swung the gear, checked the fuel tanks, replaced the prop, checked compressions, inspected the cam-shaft, and replaced the fuel caps. The airplane has 2650TT and less than 500 hrs SMOH on the engine. Brand new prop. The paint is rough but maybe I could get it slightly touched up or power washed without having to go through an entire repainting process. I don't care if the paint is faded just don't want the evil black mold look on it. There is visible corrosion on the landing gear. I looked on the main Mooney website and saw a few authorized Mooney shops within the MD/PA/VA areas. I was looking at Freeway Aviation in Bowie, Maryland. The current owner said the aircraft would probably have to be shipped to get it airworthy. So have to take the wings off and put on a truck. I'm not a super big fan of taking the wings off because I know that can lead to problems if they aren't properly disassembled and/or put back together. Anyways, I guess I was wondering depending on what the A&P saw what type of money are we probably talking to get this plane airworthy? 30k? 40k? 50k? I guess I am wondering if it is worth the money to try to get it airworthy since most J's go for over 100k. Here is the Trade-A-Plane link: 1977 MOONEY M20J 201 Single Engine Piston for sale - 2418992 Thanks! If you are looking for an M20J project plane that looks like it is in much better condition, there appears to be one in Houston at Hooks airport (KDWH). It is advertised locally in Houston on Facebook Marketplace. I have not been up to Hooks to see it personally - just looking at the current ad and the old Aircraft.com ad N204MM. 1978 M20J. Current owner claims it was hangared continuously until Dec. 2024. And that he bought it as a father/kid project but medical issues got in the way. Paint looks fairly decent in the pics - some weathering but nothing like the one you are looking at. Marketplace - 1978 Mooney M20J | Facebook From 2007 N204MM | 1978 MOONEY M20J 201 on Aircraft.com Aircraft.com ad from 2007 says Painted in 1998 with Imron JPI EDM-700 Graphic Engine Monitor (Including Fuel Flow, Voltage and Oil Temperature), 231-Style Wingtips with Enclosed Strobes, Mod Works Low Profile Gear Doors, Quarter Inch Glass Installed in 1998 Rosen Sun-Visors STEC 30 Autopilot with Altitude Hold and GPSS Roll Steering. GNS430 - may or may not be WAAS He is asking $40,000 He pulled the engine to have it overhauled but has not shipped it off yet. Possibly you could have the engine reinstalled, ferry it back up North to your home drome. Just an idea - but appears to be better condition and better equipped than the one you are looking at. Edited Monday at 02:47 AM by 1980Mooney 4
Pinecone Posted Monday at 04:04 PM Report Posted Monday at 04:04 PM On 8/15/2025 at 1:52 PM, A64Pilot said: I find many comments interesting, like the old King stuff isn’t any good. That old stuff is very reliable, easily and cheaply replaced and very repairable. Vacuum instruments have been the standard for more years than any of us have been alive, vacuum systems are reliable if you replace the pump on schedule. And that latest greatest glass will be obsolete in five years and likely won’t be supported in ten, almost all modern electronics use custom IC chips, that once they are no longer available, become unrepairable. Let's see. The GNS-430 came out about 1998. They are still serviceable, except for the screens, and that has been only for the past couple of years. So based on that, you can realistically expect a shining new panel be maintainable for at least 25 years. The G1000 came out in 2004, and they are still making and installing them in new airplanes. But, I do agree with you that the older stuff will still work great for many owners.
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