I've owned a 140 and a 151 and loved them both.

That said I must say that the door was my single biggest complaint. Not only
was it a hassle to pile 3-4 people in and out but the years of passengers
grabbing the door as they pull themselves out and set themselves in leaves
most of them ill-fitting at best and quite drafty in the winter. My wife
constantly (only in the winter mind you - she reads this stuff) complained
about the cold air coming through the door so I'd have to turn the heat to
shoe melting temperatures to combat it.

FWIW, if I were to get back into the market for a starter plane I'd have to
give the 172 a serious look. All of the positives that can be said for the
cherokees (easy to maintain, cheap to insure, every mechanic has worked on
them, yada yada yada) can also be said for the skyhawk. Performance is
roughly the same and you get a 2nd door, albeit likely for a higher cost.

Just my $.02

-Brian
Iowa City, IA

"Jimbob" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the input all.

I think after weighing all the factors, the Cherokee line is the most
logical choice. I think it fits all my requirements for range, speed,
wing location and economy. The only thing is the door. And that's
really only cosmetic and conveinence. Thus, it should be bottom of my
list.