It took the 35-year-old former Birmingham striker just four minutes to give the home side the lead - showing his impeccable pedigree with a class finish.
Reacting to a quick throw-in, the Wycombe captain sent a thundering right-footed finish into the bottom corner of Torquay's net.
Wycombe turned on the style with midfielder Stefan Oakes - once of Leicester City - producing a spellbinding performance in the home side's engine room. His distribution with his revered left boot was top class and gave Wycombe an extra attacking dimension.
But it was not all one-way traffic - after the break Torquay dominated the game and even had a Kevin Hill goal chalked out for offside as Wycombe took their foot off the gas.
Hill seemed to be buzzing everywhere on the Adams Park pitch showing both tenacity and guile as mid-table Torquay tried to restore parity.
Wycombe's defence - expertly marshalled by sweeper Sam Stockley - weathered the storm as Torquay threw men forward in a desperate bid to find an equaliser.
But Mooney's seventh league goal of the season and a late effort from substitute Russell Martin was enough to win the game and bolster Wycombe's promotion bid.
Kevin Betsy's awareness led to the striker passing to an unmarked Martin who side-footed his shot past Torquay keeper Nathan Abbey to secure maximum points for the home side.