Originally Posted by Islander2
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!).
As they say about Bonanza pilots - You can fly faster, but you can't pay more.
For comparison purposes I thought I'd chip in. When buying my Mooney I too narrowed the selection down to the Bonanza, TB20 and the Mooney. I quite quickly decided the Bonanza wasn't for me, mainly for the reasons Islander2 says makes it the perfect airplane for him. Most of my flying is European touring, mainly 2-up with just myself and my wife. The occasional 4-up trip doesn't justify hauling four empty seats all over Europe and I have no interest in turning my aircraft into a mini-freighter and doing cargo runs. The price you pay for hauling all that empty space around is a much higher fuel bill every time you fly. Although Islander2 compares it to a Merc or Jag, to me it seemed much more like a Range Rover - great if you want something smart and inefficient, but with the capability to throw a couple of hay bails in the back for Lucinda's pony if you want. I didn't.
The TB20 was better suited to my needs. It's tidier aerodynamically and much better matched to my usual mission profile. Two-up you can fill it with fuel and have an excellent range. It's good in crosswinds, well built, very capable and easy to get in and out of.
In terms of speed, payload and range the TB20 and the Mooney with long range tanks are quite closely matched. Full tanks, 2 people with luggage, 160 knot going-places machines. The trade-off between them is that the Mooney has the 200hp 4-cylinder IO360 and burns 9 USG per hour whereas the TB20 has the 250hp 6-cylinder IO540 and burns 11.5 - 12 USG per hour. The reason they both go 160 kts is that the Mooney has a tighter cabin with less headroom. Interestingly, the Mooney cabin is almost exactly the same width as the Bonanza, but it does feel much more cramped and you have to be agile to get in with any elegance. Mooney's are also built for tall people with long legs - if you're short you'll hate it.
Going back to the car analogy, the TB20 was like a well-appointed Mercedes saloon. The Mooney was more like a Jaguar XKR. A true European tourer and very comfortable two-up, but the rear seats are for occasional use only and if you're a little old or portly, it's a bit of a bu**er to get into.
So for me the trade-off between the TB20 and the Mooney boiled down to three factors:
1) Is the extra cabin space worth the extra fuel and the additional maintenance costs?
2) In the European market, comparing like-for-like aircraft in terms of total hours and age, TB20s trade at a significant premium over Mooneys. That's the advantage of being categorised as "eccentric and claustrophobic". You get a lot of aircraft for your money.
3) I've previously had an unhappy experience with the UK Socata importer. Do I really want to commit myself to having to deal with a company I dislike?
Possibly if a decent TB20 had come up before I found my Mooney, it might have been a different decision. In retrospect, though, I'm very happy indeed with my choice. The low running costs mean I never think twice before going off on a trip somewhere. And despite having GAMIs fitted I never bother running lean of peak - why bother saving a little more fuel so that you can go a bit slower? The fuel burn's so low already it's just not worth it. Roy Lo Presti, who did the bodywork designs for the modern Mooneys got it right with his motto: "Life is Short ... Fly FAST!". That's why people fly Mooneys.