As for buying, I can heartily recommend it. Knowing who flew the plane
last, and having everything in the plane PRECISELY the way you left it
(and always leave it) is worth all the headaches, IMHO.

As long as you overlook the price differential between the per hour of
operation cost of owning vs renting, your recommendation is valid. One
generally gets more by paying more.

IF you find an honest, good A&P to work with, and IF you are inclined
to do a lot of work yourself, and IF the plane is in relatively good
shape to start with, you can own a plane and fly the pants off of it at
an affordable rate. (It helps to own a robust, common design, like a
Cherokee or a Skyhawk/Skylane.)

However, IF you take your plane to a big corporate shop, or IF some
major mechanical problem(s) arise, owning can literally rip the hide
off of you, financially.

It's no different than buying a house, a boat, or a business. YOU can
make a big difference, and some luck is involved.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"