Cecil Chapman wrote:
I'm beginning the process of looking for my own plane and have heard lots of
advice. Most have advised against getting something like a Cherokee 140 and
opt instead for something like a Cessna 172 or a Cherokee 180. Now, most
172 N's that I've flown have a 160 HP engine. It is my understanding that
the Cherokee 140 has a 150 HP engine (about comparable to the engine size of
a 172M). Will I really miss out on the extra 10 hp difference between the
C172N and the Cherokee 140?

Some random observations:

The up-front cost of a higher powered Cherokee is higher.

The fuel cost for a higher powered Cherokee is higher.

The maintenance cost for a higher powered Cherokee is almost the same.

Many people (maybe not you) underestimate their mission. Mission creep sets in
after you make the decision.

The biggest cost is maintenance.

The difference in maintenance cost is swamped by the variability in maintenance
cost. That is, the maintenance cost is hard to predict for any given individual
aircraft, and the slightly higher maintenance cost of the higher-powered models
is a smaller difference than the seemingly random differences from airplane to
airplane.

You get to decide whether the additional capability is worth the extra up-front
cost and fuel cost. You can ignore the difference in maintenance cost (which is
your largest expense).

Let the flames begin.