My only problem with the 172 is that they tend to be wildly overpriced when compared to similar performance of the Piper Cherokee / Warrior or the Grumman Cheetah / Tiger.
A Cessna 172 will easily fetch $50-75,000 for a mid 70's model with modest airframe and engine hours, look at warriors or similar products and your instantly facing asking prices in the 30-40K range.
I think 172s tend to be inflated in their "value" simply because so many people learn in them, then they get out and want to buy what they learned in.
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