Jim is familiar with the topic, he started it . . . .

If you can find a 58P that is being regularly flown it will be hard to beat. It provides engine redundancy, FIKI, will almost certainly fit in your current hangar and will be intuitively familiar to your shop. It has the same cabin you now have, with the exception of the small rear door on the left side. It will have air conditioning for comfort, pressurization and the cavernous baggage compartment in the nose. It may have wx radar. It has the same nice Beech handling you are used to, but is heavier. That weight makes it smoother in the lumps.

You need to find one that is used regularly, by owners who looked after the equipment. A hangar queen will eat you alive.

I am no longer comfortable flying in piston singles. If it's piston, I want two engines.

A guy at my Airpark (57AZ) has one. His also has TKS, not sure if it is KI or not but that sure is one sweet traveling machine. He loves it.

Thanks for the info, captain obvious.

KJ

Bob:

I have attempted to help answer the question, “what’s the best value in a FIKI pressurized aircraft” from my experience owning an A36 and 58P and flying both of them 200+ hours.

What are you adding to this thread with your comments?

You should buy a plane to fly or do something more useful with your time than trolling conversations in which you have nothing to add.

KJ

Sounds like you had a bad one - and good thing you sold it!
Would be helpful to know some details of those events.

I really like my Mirage and so does the family. Comfortable, capable, reliable and safer (statistically) than some other options out there. For my mission it’s a great fit.

Sold my 1991 A36 last year and upgraded to a 1988 Malibu. Like others have stated, pressurization is a game changer. I see 205 Kts TAS on 14.7 gallons LOP at FL210. Just hung a FREM engine this week, so I'm curious to see if there is any change to the above.

Downside is hanger (as already mentioned) and take-off roll (they are hoggish). Other than that, I love it!

205kts, FL 210 pressurized on 14.7gph. I don’t think it gets much more efficient than that with a decent cabin size.

The Malibu (good cabin size) and Mooney Mustang (faster) have to be the winners of best value in FIKI, pressurized.

I have never owned either a Mooney Mustang or Piper Malibu.

I do know that in my 58P, I would burn more than twice as much fuel and double the maintenance to get the 220kts af FL 210.

For me...it did feel good to have that second engine out there at night and in bad weather, but at a big cost.

KJ

I could only find two M22 still flying and they are not flying Malibu/Mirage speeds.

I could only find two M22 still flying and they are not flying Malibu/Mirage speeds.

This is why I love beechtalk! I’ve never even heard of the Mooney mustang before this! I just googled and learned about a whole new Mooney aircraft that I had no idea even existed.

The piper mirage runs $275-400k for a average mistime model. Depends on how much deferred Maintanence you’re willing to put up with!

Whatever you buy, buy a plane that someone else has already improved. Don't buy a project without careful consideration and a good mental health expert close at hand.

A project plane can make grown man cry. A pressurized project plane will make you pull out your hair, beat your head, and rue the day you bought the interminable beast.

Don't let the siren song of low price lure you in.

All of the planes mentioned have something of value. Just be sure whatever you buy has been flying regularly.

This x100!!! Ask me how I know? Parts costs in pressurized planes is incomprehensible!!!

Yep, pretty much!

Also, don't buy high time engined motor thinking you can overhaul them and get that value back, because the overhaul quote is only 50% of the real cost. My Aerostar engine were quoted as $26K/each to overhaul. Fine, I thought. They cost $120K all in when all the accessories and R'n'R was done! Money you'll never get back when you sell.

Cheyenne with relatively high time engines best value probably 250k, about as much as a p baron to maintain, and turbine.