M20K Encore - Purchase advice & Cockpit feel for tall pilot

[MartinN3]

Hi everyone, first post here.
I’m seriously looking at purchasing a Mooney M20K Encore and wanted to get some real world perspective from owners.

I’m based in Croatia and currently looking at aircraft available in Europe. I’m 6’3” (95 kg) and have flown various types including C206, Baron B55/B58, and typical trainers. I know Mooneys are on the snug side, so I’d love to hear from long term M20K owners on comfort and fit, especially compared to something like a Baron.

My typical missions would be around 1.5-2 hour legs, so I feel it should be manageable, but I’d really value honest owner feedback. Also, if anyone knows of M20 owners in Croatia or nearby and wouldn’t mind a quick chat or even letting me sit in one, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance - looking forward to learning more.

Thanks,
Martin

[Hank]

@Yetti is the tallest Mooney pilot that I know, much taller than you. He may have some input here.

[Fritz1]

6'3" really should not be a problem, I am 6'3" and can sit comfortably with the seat all the way down, my height is in my torso, if your height is in your legs there is no problem whatsoever since the legroom is unlimited, I have flown in B55s, the Mooney has more headroom, welcome aboard

[MartinN3]

6 minutes ago, Fritz1 said:

6'3" really should not be a problem, I am 6'3" and can sit comfortably with the seat all the way down, my height is in my torso, if your height is in your legs there is no problem whatsoever since the legroom is unlimited, I have flown in B55s, the Mooney has more headroom, welcome aboard

That is really helpful, thanks you. My height is mostly in my legs so it’s great to hear that there’s unlimited legroom. 

On longer flights do you find yourself getting uncomfortable at all? 

Edited December 28, 2025 by MartinN3

[Fritz1]

The Encore is a rare bird, think only 35 factory Encores built, a couple of conversions, this may take a while finding a suitable one, the guy that knows most about this stuff is Jimmy Garrison at Gmax American, he may be able to shake one loose off market, might be worthwhile to call him on Monday 

[Fritz1]

Mooney is very comfortable on long flights due to legs stretched out almost flat, I roll both seats all the way back in cruise, max leg length I have done is 5h, normal is 4h, Fl210 going east, sweet spot for a turbo Mooney is somewhere between 16000 ft and 21000 ft, depending on your mission you might consider a TKS, however then the bird really becomes rare, probably less than 20 FIKI Encores on the planet

[MartinN3]

46 minutes ago, Fritz1 said:

The Encore is a rare bird, think only 35 factory Encores built, a couple of conversions, this may take a while finding a suitable one, the guy that knows most about this stuff is Jimmy Garrison at Gmax American, he may be able to shake one loose off market, might be worthwhile to call him on Monday 

Would be great to run it by him. FYI I’m not limiting myself just to the Encore. I have been in serious communication about one but haven’t yet committed to it; i’m in that stage of shopping around and thus the Encore suits my needs (Fast, cruising around FL160-180, TKS, oxygen). It’ll be my European “daily driver” let’s just say. So she needs to be capable to fly high, deal with light icing etc etc. If there’s any other model you recommend I’d be happy to explore further, thus far I’ve stuck to the K’s (231/252/Encore) as that’s what’s mostly on the market in Europe.

[MartinN3]

40 minutes ago, Fritz1 said:

Mooney is very comfortable on long flights due to legs stretched out almost flat, I roll both seats all the way back in cruise, max leg length I have done is 5h, normal is 4h, Fl210 going east, sweet spot for a turbo Mooney is somewhere between 16000 ft and 21000 ft, depending on your mission you might consider a TKS, however then the bird really becomes rare, probably less than 20 FIKI Encores on the planet

That’s perfect, exactly what I needed to know. It’ll mostly be myself and one extra passenger flying so comforting to know that it will fit us well (especially me). I will definitely be up around the high teens so oxygen and tks is a must!! Well I’ll need to get atleast 1 out of those 20 before they all get swooped up as collectors items. The heat is on! 

[LANCECASPER]

7 minutes ago, MartinN3 said:

Would be great to run it by him. FYI I’m not limiting myself just to the Encore. I have been in serious communication about one but haven’t yet committed to it; i’m in that stage of shopping around and thus the Encore suits my needs (Fast, cruising around FL160-180, TKS, oxygen). It’ll be my European “daily driver” let’s just say. So she needs to be capable to fly high, deal with light icing etc etc. If there’s any other model you recommend I’d be happy to explore further, thus far I’ve stuck to the K’s (231/252/Encore) as that’s what’s mostly on the market in Europe.

If it's the 252 with an  "Encore conversation" in Europe (N97NM), it's not an Encore, as Encores were only made in 1997 and 1998. This one is a 252 with some mods - price it accordingly.  It's been for sale forever and there are many reasons why. 

 

 

[Fritz1]

Well, 8 years ago I was shopping for an Encore and eventually bought a Bravo, the Encore has supreme airframe engine balance, the Bravo has a tougher engine, oil cooled exhaust valve guides, sodium filled exhaust valve stems, Jimmy Garrison had a personal Bravo at the time...

[MartinN3]

17 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

If it's the 252 with an  "Encore conversation" in Europe (N97NM), it's not an Encore, as Encores were only made in 1997 and 1998. This one is a 252 with some mods - price it accordingly.  It's been for sale forever and there are many reasons why. 

 

 

Yes this I what I was looking it! I was made aware that’s its not an original Encore which did raise some alarms, could you point me in the right direction as to why it’s been listed for quite a while? 

[MartinN3]

9 minutes ago, Fritz1 said:

Well, 8 years ago I was shopping for an Encore and eventually bought a Bravo, the Encore has supreme airframe engine balance, the Bravo has a tougher engine, oil cooled exhaust valve guides, sodium filled exhaust valve stems, Jimmy Garrison had a personal Bravo at the time...

That was another path to go down too… but I thought it may be “too much plane” too early on unless you have a different view? This will be my first Mooney so I was looking for something that doesn’t have too high gph and is also a little more maintenance friendly - although I am aware that the 540 is extremely reliable; just needs careful engine management. 

[Fritz1]

You will figure it out, turbo does not really help on a 1.5h flight, but you need it to climb above mountains and icing clouds in the Alps

[Marc_B]

Factory Encores come with an extra 10 years of improvements, better insulation, improved interior and avionics from the factory. But those additions also come with a little more weight.  So an Encore conversion will have a slight edge on useful load compared to factory Encore in general despite same max gross weight 3130 lbs. 

But the M20K 252 and Encore are the pinnacle of Mooney efficiency with speed, fuel burn and overall economy. You can go faster, but you do it with bigger engine, more fuel burn and starting to use more of your useful load.

Turbo Mooneys for travel aircraft can’t be beat!

[Marc_B]

Turbo gives options…density altitude, terrain, altitude efficiency, climbing over weather…. Down low a NA Mooney and a turbo Mooney fly similar. But the capabilities of the turbo are much more!

[LANCECASPER]

22 minutes ago, MartinN3 said:

Yes this I what I was looking it! I was made aware that’s its not an original Encore which did raise some alarms, could you point me in the right direction as to why it’s been listed for quite a while? 

Read through the entirety of that link that I posted and that will be a good start. 

If many people over that past few years have passed on it that should also tell you something. 

[Schllc]

The Mooney seating position is very different from most planes. 
I would say most planes are like sitting in a dining room chair, and the Mooney seat you are supine, with your legs flat out in front of you like a sports car. 
i happen to really like the supine position and can easily sit like that indefinitely. 
an upright chair position makes me very restless and uncomfortable after two or three hours. 
if you like the sports car position you will love the mooney. 

[MartinN3]

13 minutes ago, Fritz1 said:

You will figure it out, turbo does not really help on a 1.5h flight, but you need it to climb above mountains and icing clouds in the Alps

It's more the fact that I need the ability to climb over weather and the higher terrain. Many time's i've been caught out by the limitation of not being able to climb, so for that reason a turbo for me is a non-negotiable. Plus I want the extra workload of managing a complex system.

[MartinN3]

13 minutes ago, Marc_B said:

Factory Encores come with an extra 10 years of improvements, better insulation, improved interior and avionics from the factory. But those additions also come with a little more weight.  So an Encore conversion will have a slight edge on useful load compared to factory Encore in general despite same max gross weight 3130 lbs. 

But the M20K 252 and Encore are the pinnacle of Mooney efficiency with speed, fuel burn and overall economy. You can go faster, but you do it with bigger engine, more fuel burn and starting to use more of your useful load.

Turbo Mooneys for travel aircraft can’t be beat!

Honestly, there's really nothing like them. They go fast, go high and do it economically. A lot of my friends have been saying "Go the Bonanza route" and although I have time in the B55/58 the mooney is so much more appealing to me. Thanks for giving your perspective!!

[MartinN3]

9 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

Read through the entirety of that link that I posted and that will be a good start. 

If many people over that past few years have passed on it that should also tell you something. 

Wilco, thank's for the guidance.

[MartinN3]

8 minutes ago, Schllc said:

The Mooney seating position is very different from most planes. 
I would say most planes are like sitting in a dining room chair, and the Mooney seat you are supine, with your legs flat out in front of you like a sports car. 
i happen to really like the supine position and can easily sit like that indefinitely. 
an upright chair position makes me very restless and uncomfortable after two or three hours. 
if you like the sports car position you will love the mooney. 

Say less. That summed it up quite well for me. Thanks!!

[LANCECASPER]

38 minutes ago, MartinN3 said:

Wilco, thank's for the guidance.

You're welcome.

The numbers just don't work on this airplane.

1) Engine: With the "overhaul" done 12+ years ago I would price it with a run out engine. I saw pictures of it a couple years ago with oil all over the nose gear doors. In Europe the overhauls need to be done every 12 years anyway - possibly there's an exception with an N-number airplane. A factory reman with R/R and new hoses, etc, etc is now close to $100,000.

2) Panel: While it was a nice panel 40 years ago, and could be flown this way, you could drop $75,000 in this panel very easily and not get everything you want.

3 Interior: The interior is 40 years old. To do it right it could easily cost $20,000

4) Airframe: Here is the unknown. It will depend a lot on a very thorough pre-buy concentrating on corrosion and a lot of careful combing through the logbooks. $?????

5) Fuel Tanks: if they haven't been re-sealed, budget $15,000-$20000.

6) Paint: $30,000

 

Any time that you are looking at considerably more than the purchase price to get it where it needs to be, you are SO much better off just buying the best example of one that's for sale already the way you want it. 

Assuming a purchase price of $150.000 and knowing how I would want the airplane when it's finished, I'd have a hard time not having $400,000 into it. Even if it could  be bought for $100,000 it wouldn't work for me. 

 

Point of reference: I sold a spotless '97 Encore 10 years ago with FIKI, 775 total time and original panel for $210,000 and today it would be worth $280,000 - $300,000.

[MartinN3]

5 minutes ago, LANCECASPER said:

You're welcome.

The numbers just don't work on this airplane.

1) Engine: With the "overhaul" done 12+ years ago I would price it with a run our engine. A factory reman with R/R and new hoses, etc, etc is now close to $100,000.

2) Panel: While it was a nice panel 40 years ago, and could be flown this way, you could drop $75,000 in this panel very easily and not get everything you want.

3 Interior: The interior is 40 years old. To do it right it could easily cost $20,000

4) Airframe: Here is the unknown. It will depend a lot on a very thorough pre-buy concentrating on corrosion and a lot of careful combing through the logbooks. $?????

5) Fuel Tanks: if they haven't been re-sealed, budget $15,000-$20000.

 

Any time that you are looking at considerably more than the purchase price to get it where it needs to be, you are SO much better off just buying the best example of one that's for sale already the way you want it. 

I just read through the whole thread you sent me. I definitely agree with what some other members are saying; the fact that the price has been reduced several times and with larger differences between each asking price is definitely a worry. The engine & frame are definitely the main concern for me, especially with that overhaul... i'd need to see more information about it (yet to be sent to me). The panel, although it is outdated I quite like the idea of keeping it a traditional steam gauge albeit a few minor upgrades. Truthfully, planecheck.com only has two 252's for sale meaning there really isn't much out there, hence why I leaned towards N97NM. I will however take you advice and keep an eye out for a cleaner example – it's just that the Encore really ticked all my boxes. I mean what if I went down the route of 231? or even this: https://www.planecheck.com?ent=da&id=62304 how would they compare to the 252? For me as long as it's capable to fly high, fast, stay economical and reliable I'm happy. The FIKI is a massssive bonus which I would absolutely love but it's not a deal breaker for me.

[kortopates]

1.5 - 2hrs is nothing in an Encore. There are more 252’s converted to Encores than Encores. I converted mine. The conversions on average will have a bit more useful load - mine had over 1120 lbs.
Personally i would only get one with Dual alternators but i got mine for traveling. Otherwise your subject to single alternator failures with a single battery.
Everything else is standard.
How comfortable it is though may depend on the quality of the interior and seats - if still original foam that would be an issue. Much better options available with quality upholstery work.
TKS isn’t as critical on a Turbo since most often we can get on top and cruise over ice in the sunlight.


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[LANCECASPER]

9 minutes ago, MartinN3 said:

I just read through the whole thread you sent me. I definitely agree with what some other members are saying; the fact that the price has been reduced several times and with larger differences between each asking price is definitely a worry. The engine & frame are definitely the main concern for me, especially with that overhaul... i'd need to see more information about it (yet to be sent to me). The panel, although it is outdated I quite like the idea of keeping it a traditional steam gauge albeit a few minor upgrades. Truthfully, planecheck.com only has two 252's for sale meaning there really isn't much out there, hence why I leaned towards N97NM. I will however take you advice and keep an eye out for a cleaner example – it's just that the Encore really ticked all my boxes. I mean what if I went down the route of 231? or even this: https://www.planecheck.com?ent=da&id=62304 how would they compare to the 252? For me as long as it's capable to fly high, fast, stay economical and reliable I'm happy. The FIKI is a massssive bonus which I would absolutely love but it's not a deal breaker for me.

I added some more info to that post after you quoted it.

First, decide what your mission is and decide what airplane you want  - that comes first. You aren't there yet if you're thinking about 231 vs. 252. They are both good airplanes but although I had a 231 thirty+ years ago I wouldn't go back to a 14v system plus you can't get FIKI on that airplane - which you need where you are just to get out of something you might find yourself in. The Encore addressed things that the 252 fell short on - not too many things. The 252 addressed a lot of things that the 231 fell short on. Take all emotion out of your purchase decision and spend time educating yourself by gathering information.

 

Here a thread which may help: