Attn Mooney Owners - Take 2

[iflyforfun]

Okay, didn't want to hijack the other thread. All the discussion made me take a look. There must be something wrong with this plane because too good to be true sure seems to fit:
http://www.trade-a-plane.com/detail/1618383.html
www dot trade-a-plane dot com/detail/1618383 dot html

< 300 hours on the engine
new three blade prop
GNS-430 (doesn't say it is a W)
decent looking P&I (but yeah, pictures lie)
had belly up landing in '05, but that isn't a deal killer for a Mooney
no autopilot as best I can tell is only real shortcoming
$35k

This looks like a GREAT deal. Is this too good to be true, or have I just been out of the market too long. I'm not looking to buy, just browsing and find this an amazing deal.

 

[Henning]

It can be a great deal, it could be worthless, you can't evaluate a plane over an ad.

 

[Lance F]

Henning is right. To see what it's worth and what the problems are you need a prebuy inspection. I thought it a little weird that one phone number is a Maine area code; the second phone number is a California area code; and the plane is listed as being in Tennessee.
Last IFR flight was 18 months ago. Be a little careful. Sitting on the ground isn't good for any aircraft.

 

[teethdoc]

I corresponded with the mechanic for a while but ended up going a different direction. It was under contract but fell through following the prebuy. I'm not sure what happened there. It is owned by a non-profit ministry that somehow revolves around flying. Here is an excerpt from one of the emails:

"...The paint is older but was a good product (maybe Imron) and has held up well. I would rate the aircraft as a 7 out of 10. There are some areas that the paint is missing that certainly detracts from the overall look but where there is paint it is in good condition.


We received the aircraft as a donation after a belly landing. The prop is new and the engine has been overhauled. The belly panels were repaired/replaced as needed...."

It could potentially be a good buy for somebody. Who knows.

 

[wabower]

FWIW, there are no paint grading systems that include a 7 when big chunks of it are missing.

I corresponded with the mechanic for a while but ended up going a different direction. It was under contract but fell through following the prebuy. I'm not sure what happened there. It is owned by a non-profit ministry that somehow revolves around flying. Here is an excerpt from one of the emails:

"...The paint is older but was a good product (maybe Imron) and has held up well. I would rate the aircraft as a 7 out of 10. There are some areas that the paint is missing that certainly detracts from the overall look but where there is paint it is in good condition.


We received the aircraft as a donation after a belly landing. The prop is new and the engine has been overhauled. The belly panels were repaired/replaced as needed...."

It could potentially be a good buy for somebody. Who knows.

 

[Piloto]

It is not rare to see deals like this specially when is the widow selling the plane. I bought mine from a friend widow at a very reasonable price. When the owner dies the widow is facing plane related issues that she does not want to take care about, like hangar rent, maintenance, insurance and possible loan payments. Selling the plane gets rid of the above and bring extra cash.

José