Personally, I would buy a TB20 or TB21, and would do so over anything else out there today
Okay, let's court a little controversy
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I bought my 1986 A36 Bonanza 15 years ago after a similar trawl through the alternatives. What follows is a very brief summary of the factors that led to my purchase decision.
If you're considering moving into this category for the first time, either you've decided that you're desperate to justify all the time and money you've spent on your hobby by turning it into a serious form of transport ... or you're just plain loaded! Either way, you're probably not going to be content with a Ford or a Vauxhall - it's an ego thing! So, competent as they are, that consideration rules out the Piper and Cessna contenders (the latter's ruled out in any event, since every one knows that a proper pilot flies a low-wing aeroplane - again, it's an ego thing
).
15 years ago, that essentially left Aerospatiale, Beech and Mooney. Today you also have Cirrus, Diamond and Lancair but, personally, even now I wouldn't choose any one of those over the A36 for the same reasons as given by IO540 (and, yep, I realise we're in a minority!!).
I soon narrowed it down to the A36 and the TB20 ... for although the Mooney stable produces terrific, best-in-class high-performance aeroplanes, unfortunately they can only be categorised as eccentric and claustrophic (
that should get me some hate mail!).
The A36 and TB20 are both exceedingly good aeroplanes in the luxury class of SEPs - think Mercedes or Jaguar, sticking with the car analogy. So how do they differ, and how do you choose?
First, the subjective: the A36 handles better (and what pilot doesn't want a responsive aeroplane, even in a tourer?) and, IMHO, is better engineered. The TB20, on the other hand, looks more modern and has less of a 'Biggles' interior.
But objectively, the real differences are in two areas.
1) The A36 has an especially poor range (15% lower than the TB20?) with only 74 USG fuel capacity. So if long-distance touring is your thing, the TB20 is decidedly better ... it can get you to North America without the need for ferry tanks but, perhaps more importantly, it can save the need for a refuelling stop on many of your European trips.
2) The A36 is a spacious six seater (the cabin volume is bigger than a Seneca's), with large double-door rear access to the aft four seats, whereas the TB20 is ... well, in Mercedes terms, think CLS rather than long-wheelbase S-Class! In the A36, this means 6 passengers - 4 adults and 2 children, say. But, perhaps rather more usefully, it also means 4 passengers and a realistic quantity of holiday luggage! Or, alternatively with the rear two seats removed (takes 90 seconds!), you've got yourself a freighter!
It was the latter that caused me to choose a the A36 over the TB20, especially since I have a regular requirement to carry large items of cargo. With the Bonanza's design dating back more than sixty years (twice as old as the TB20!), it could be tempting to call it 'old fashioned'. In practice, I find that its pedigree is rather comforting, so I prefer to think of the Bonanza as a well-proven classic! What's more, it's still in production today - and you get to join a type-specific owner/operator club (the ABS) whose members number more than ten thousand!
As with IO540, I'd also make the very same decision today ... until, that is, an SET becomes affordable!