living in houston, i just think the
sun beating down on me thru that bubble would be too much.

Your call, of course, but before you make the decision, you might drive
on over to Pearland Regional (formerly Clover) and fly one of Mike
King's when summer comes around. I've never found it to be a problem
because on the ground it's easy to keep the doors open, and once
airborne the ventilation is excellent.

I've seen Tommy's with low time engines and airframes and good IFR
panels going for $20K.

Michael