That doesn't take the fact away that Cirrus planes are
* badly build, have a low finishing quality
* Insurance is higher on Cirrus than on other GA planes (why would that be hu?)
* many high time pilots crashed their cirrus while low and slow
* have high post-crash fires
* are difficult to land in a crosswind
* count too much on the parachute (example, according to the Poh: engine failure ? Pull the chute !! I don't call that dealing with emergencies, for cirrus it is)
Spin: Pull the Chute
Ice: Pull the chute
Engine Failure: Pull the Chute
Disorientation: Pull the Chute
* Cirrus airframe life limit is 15.000hours
A cirrus that has 400 hours for example looks beat up, inside and outside.
And the most important thing, which many seems to forget :
ALL CIRRUS AIRPLANES HAVE A LIFETIME LIMIT ON THE BRS PARACHUTE OF 10 YEARS
Even worse, the price to replace the BRS and the problems of the top of the fuselage that needs to be re-done is NOT KNOWN YET.
I bet the marketing guys at Cirrus put that really into a small font.
And I don't hear the Cirrus lovers talk about that.
I have to give them kudos to selling these birds in huge numbers. Aldo 2009 wasn't that good.
2009 deliveries cirrus including third quarter 09 : 189
2008 deliveries cirrus : 549
2007 deliveries cirrus : 710
2006 deliveries cirrus : 721
2005 deliveries cirrus : 600
But again, numbers Mooney will never get anymore. Never ever. And kudos to the cirrus marketing machine. My meaning is just that if all the facts would have been known to potential buyers they would have bought a real plane, like a Mooney or like a Bonanza.