Mooney 201 questions

[Waldom]

Get an insurance quote comparison for comparable Mooney 201s and Cessna 182s. You will find this an enlightening exercise.

 

[Knob]

The 231 is a bit larger than the 201-not sure of the exact dimensions. The 231 is what is referred to as the "long body" mooney because of the extra length of the fuselage. The only additonal mx for a 231 comes at engine overhaul time, our last rebuild cost $35K. It is cheaper to operate on a day to day basis than a 182, at 13 gph- I don't remember what the fuel burn is on a 182 but both are great planes. Just depends on how fast you want to get there!

 

[Choppy]

Airplane

Take a look at the Comanchee 260's. Fast, cheap, and a lot of bang for the buck!!

 

[imacdog]

I have about 30 hours in an M20J and loved flying it. I actually found it quite comfortable, and the flying characteristics are great. I have also ridden in the back of one and didn't find it that bad for a couple hour flight. If I was looking for something to haul four full sized adults plus gear and fuel I'd go with a 182 (I flew one part 135 and we could fill the plane no problem), but for a speedster the Mooney is a great choice.

 

[propsarebest]

Good choice on the Comanche, but I would stick to the 260B only- most refined of the lot, and STAY AWAY from the Comanche 400.

 

[Immelman]

I have just a handful of hours in an M20C and 231 belonging to a friend of mine. I'm the tall skinny type and was very comfortable flying both. Realize that mooney's did get longer somewhere through the years making the rear seats somewhat feasible (as compared to the older models such as the C).

I really do hope to buy one someday soon; the thing is though my traveling will be my wife and I, and maybe a dog... no need for the extra capacity of a 182.

I don't recall numbers but my friend with the 231 mentioned that after a few months of initial time building the insurance bill went down significantly; sorry, I wish I had specific numbers.. but it didn't seem all that bad when he was explaining it to me at the time.

 

[JimNtexas]

If you plan to routinely carry three or four people do yourself and especially your pax a favor, and get a Cessna Cardinal RG instead of a Mooney.

Mooneys are great for pilots, but they are hell on pax. Passengers love the Cardinal, and won't mind giving up a few knots in speed for the Buick like comfort and scenicruiser visiblity of the Cardinal, compared to the MG-TC seating and nuclear sub visibility of the Mooney's back seat.

The Cardinal flies like a real airplane, nothing like any other single engine Cessna.

 

[satpak77]

hmm thanks for the info guys

 

[propsarebest]

Cardinal RG is nice, but watch out for the doors, fuel caps, and STAY AWAY from the early year models.

 

[gfvalvo]

6 Seats

Since everyone else is throwing in their $0.02, I'd say if you want to carry 4 people and a reasonable amount of luggage in comfort then the answer is a Cherokee 6. Especially if 2 of those passengers are kids who you expect will grow.