What meets my mission?

I got my ticket in 1991 and haven't flown much since then. I love(d)
it, but it proved an expensive hobby. Now that I have a real job, I am
considering getting back into it. To that end, I have been considering
buying a plane or building one. Though I always thought it was a bit
dumb to fly something you built yourself, I have seen the error my ways
and now think it is a great idea. You understand your aircraft FAR
better, you can save costs by doing some of your own maintenance, and I
like to build things. To that end, these are my requirements:

-Inexpensive (not necessarily cheap, but fairly cheap to fly and
maintain)

-Relatively quick to build (I think I will really enjoy building, but
1000+ hours is OUT - I want to finish)

-Two places with decent gear

-Decent x-country (probably won't often fly farther than a couple
hundred miles, but I want to be able to do that and do more for
somewhat epic adventures)

- Proven design with good safety record

- Float option would be great

- Good performance (120+, good climb, possibility of limited IFR for
safety)

- Fun to fly (possible very limited aerobatics - roll and loop)

From my research, the Zodiac XL looks like it almost perfectly fits my
goals. Anyone have any other suggestions or comments on whether the
Zodiac doesn't meet this list?

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.

Your best path, rather than waiting for some to decide for you, is to
google. There are 1000's of web pages on the subject of homebuilding/sport
aircraft. This route would be much more educational....:0)

Ric
wrote in message
oups.com...
I got my ticket in 1991 and haven't flown much since then. I love(d)
it, but it proved an expensive hobby. Now that I have a real job, I am
considering getting back into it. To that end, I have been considering
buying a plane or building one. Though I always thought it was a bit
dumb to fly something you built yourself, I have seen the error my ways
and now think it is a great idea. You understand your aircraft FAR
better, you can save costs by doing some of your own maintenance, and I
like to build things. To that end, these are my requirements:

-Inexpensive (not necessarily cheap, but fairly cheap to fly and
maintain)

-Relatively quick to build (I think I will really enjoy building, but
1000+ hours is OUT - I want to finish)

-Two places with decent gear

-Decent x-country (probably won't often fly farther than a couple
hundred miles, but I want to be able to do that and do more for
somewhat epic adventures)

- Proven design with good safety record

- Float option would be great

- Good performance (120+, good climb, possibility of limited IFR for
safety)

- Fun to fly (possible very limited aerobatics - roll and loop)

From my research, the Zodiac XL looks like it almost perfectly fits my
goals. Anyone have any other suggestions or comments on whether the
Zodiac doesn't meet this list?

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.