What model mooney is best; J or K (turbo or not)

Question

What model mooney is best; J or K (turbo or not)

Answer 1

It depends...

The M20J and M20K were developed as the first major overhaul of the design of the Mooney.  

-The M20J uses a 4 cylinder, normally aspirated, fuel Injected, 200 hp engine.  It was also called the 201 because it went 201 mph.

-The early M20K used a 6 cylinder, turbocharged, fuel injected, 210 hp engine.  It was later replaced with an intercooled engine to lower operating temperatures and increase speed another 21 mph.  It was called the 231 and 252, respectively because that is how fast they went (mph).

Turbocharging the engine allows you to carry the horsepower of your engine at sea level up to higher altitudes.  The M20K operates at 28,000 feet at 252 mph.  The M20J only has 200hp at sea level and looses horsepower as it climbs and has a service ceiling of 18,600.  Generally,  this means that as you climb in a normally aspirated airplane you are loosing horsepower, airspeed, climb rate and fuel burn.  In a turbo aircraft all of those factors remain relatively constant.  

This means that if you are flying long distances where it is worthwhile to climb to high altitudes it will be a lot quicker if you have a turbo.  If you fly under 400 miles, I would say to stick with a normally aspirated as your fuel burn will be about half as much and you will be only 20 minutes later then the turbo.  Other factors include the decreased useful load and decreased range of a turbo.  If you live in a high altitude place (above 4,000 feet) I would go with the turbo.  

If you are really serious about this decision I would suggest you go to Mooney's website and study the current normally aspirated Ovation 3 versus the Turbo Acclaim.  While they use much bigger engines then the J & K you can see how their numbers line up relative to each other, for the various criteria (speed, climb rate, range, useful load & cost of operation).