"Retractable is way cooler than fixed gear"
Absolutely Bjornhall, the birds dig RG, both feathered (who I have noticed never fly with their legs dangling down) and also it is rumoured the non-feathered variety.
Deice: I have no problem with the single door entry for the Mooney - it means fewer doors to open during flight and less to check before takeoff.
The large baggage door at the back of the cabin is easily big enough for an emergency exit and is openable from the inside. So if an unconscious Roseanne Barr is blocking your egress from the aircraft and you can't uncork her (even by throwing pies out onto the wing) you can find another way out and help pull her out.
Fewer breaches in the structure = better structural rigidity, ask and ferrari or porsche owner why the performance car purists usually drive hard tops and soft top versions are the territory of the poseur/hairdresser.
SB (Fully retractable fully enclosing gear with shiny doors and rumoured to be dug by at least 2 (non-feathered variety) chicks from Maders)