Chris,
I too rented 152s and they always 'seemed fine'. Problem is, as a student, I never once looked at the logbooks and didn't really care to. Who knows how much work was done on them between the times I flew?
So I'm just trying to get a feel for how much really goes wrong on a regular basis. My impression so far is that generally speaking, a well cared-for plane shouldn't cost more than a few thousand a year in annuals and minor squawks - until soemthing major goes tits-up. Then all hell breaks loose financially.
