Currently I fly a Grumman Tiger AA-5B – an airplane that meets almost all my needs.

For family transportation it would be nice to have a roomier cabin and 50 more horsepower to better get out of high altitude airports. At 130 kts it’s no slouch and it sips gas at only 10 gph. With 52gph, it has 500NM legs – more than the family can usually bear. So at $80/hr wet ($4.30/gal) with a $35/hr maintenance reserve included the Tiger is hard to beat…

But pilots wouldn’t be pilots, if they weren’t dreaming of the next airplane. Possible upgrades for us include:

• Piper PA-24 Comanche B/C – budget long range hauler at 155-160kts. Old.
• Mooney Ovation – What’s not to like? Price? Leaky wet wing tanks – 175kts
• Cessna 177 Cardinal Turbo – 165 kts, roomy.
• Beechcraft Bonanza P-33, S-33 – cracked spar A/D,
• Mooney 201  – J-Model – efficient, cramped back seats, 155 kts
• Cessna 210L – 6 seats, 165 kts, finicky retractable gear system, cracked spar A/D
• Beechcraft A36 – 6 seats, 170kts, control harmony, but high price, cracked spar A/D
• A G2 or older steam gauge SR-22 – Parachute, Modern Design, Fix gear 165kts
• An even older Piper Malibu (1987) – 200kts – six seats – insurability!
• Lancair 360 – 190kts – 2 seats – Experimental
• RV-4 – fun, no payload, low range – 160kts

Unrelated a link to a great aircraft comparison article: https://airfactsjournal.com/2014/10/retractable-singles-good-fad-ugly/