The 160 hp PA-28 is still a 2 (adult) person airplane except under very good conditions. I didn't notice where you live Don before begining this comment, but if you're a flatlander using it at relatively low density altitudes it can be a fairly capable airplane. It will have respectable cruise speeds, fuel economy, and comfort. It's a well proven design and pretty much any mechanic should be familiar with mantainance issues peculiar to the type. Personally I'd rather have a C150 to fly as I please than a larger airplane that comes with all of the restrictions and risks associated with a partnership...but that's just my own feelings on the subject. Each pilot's situation and needs are different. Is a PA-28-160 a good airplane? Yes it is. I have a couple hundred hours in one.
Years ago a (somewhat accident prone) buddy of mine was a 1/7 parnter in a Grumman Traveler. He took it to SoCal and clipped a parked fuel truck as he was taxiing. The free-castering nosewheel allowed the nose to swing around abruptly and the prop tore open a fire extinguisher mounted on the side of the truck. It was a heckofa scene when the extinguisher blew, and the airplane was tied up all summer down there for repairs, including a new prop, engine rebuild, etc. Here you had 6 other owners with ongoing expenses and no airplane to fly during some of the best part of the flying year. As soon as the airplane was airworthy again it was sold and the partnership dissolved. Footnote: The guy's wife, who hated flying and had taken a mild tranquilizer prior to departing the home airport, became hysterical and came apart with about the same force as the fire extinguisher...never to set foot again in a small airplane. She also divorced him not long after, but that was over other issues <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
