This 1990 Piper PA-46 Malibu Mirage Is an Updated, Travel-Ready ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1990 Piper PA-46 Malibu Mirage.

For pilots who regularly travel with family members, business associates, or other passengers, the attraction of a turbocharged engine and pressurized cabin can be very strong. The ability to climb quickly into the flight levels without having to breathe supplemental oxygen through masks or cannulas allows occupants to enjoy the flight with maximum comfort.

The Malibu’s spacious cabin features club seating. [Credit: Aerista] 

Piper developed the Malibu Mirage specifically to fly efficiently through the thin air near its 25,000-foot service ceiling. Its long, high-aspect-ratio wing is designed to perform best at altitudes higher than those reached by typical, naturally aspirated piston single aircraft. A roomy, cabin-class interior allows passengers to stretch out and move around easily during long flights—more like an airliner than a compact car with wings.

The aircraft for sale today is a handsome, well-equipped, and thoughtfully updated traveling machine. With Garmin avionics and factory air conditioning, it is ready to tackle a wide range of missions but is especially well suited for long cross-country trips.

The Malibu’s combination of great looks and speed has kept it on my fantasy-flying list for decades. It is a serious airplane for pilots who want to cruise reliably above 200 ktas.

I often imagine how an airplane like this would shorten some of my favorite trips. It would easily trim a couple of hours off my Commander 114B’s transit time between New Hampshire and Oshkosh.    

Passengers will love the Malibu Mirage’s airstair door. [Credit: Aerista]

This 1990 Malibu Mirage has 4,397 hours on the airframe, 1,435 hours since factory rebuild on its 350 hp Lycoming TIO-540 engine, and 865 hours since new on its Hartzell three-blade composite propeller. Basic empty weight is 3,040 pounds.

The engine features the Malibu Aerospace M1 cooling kit, an aftermarket modification of the engine cowling and baffles that improves airflow and lowers cylinder head and oil temperatures. The aircraft is also equipped with Malibu Aerospace wheel fairings and long-range fuel tanks.

A forward baggage compartment is among the Malibu’s many thoughtful features. [Credit: Aerista]

The panel features a Garmin G500 PFD/MFD display, GTN 750 GPS/nav/com, GNC 255A nav/com, GTX 345 transponder with ADS-B In and Out, PS Engineering PMA 450A audio panel, King KFC 150 autopilot, new autopilot pitch and roll servos installed in 2023, GDL 69 satellite weather receiver, King weather radar, Shadin MiniFlo fuel computer, and Garmin Flight Stream 510.

The Malibu’s panel has been modernized with Garmin avionics. [Credit: Aerista]

Additional equipment includes factory air conditioning, deicing boots, heated windshield, emergency oxygen system, standby flight instruments, and LED exterior lighting.

Piston pilots wishing to take a major step up to turbocharged power and a pressurized, six-place cabin should consider this 1990 Piper PA-46 Malibu Mirage, which is available for $474,900 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use our airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

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• Plane + Pilot: Piper Matrix: The Second-Year Test
• Plane + Pilot: Piper Malibu/Mirage
• Plane + Pilot: Piper Malibu & Cessna 210N, 1978
• The Aviation Consumer: Piper PA-46 Malibu/Mirage/Matrix