I had a look into the Pa-28 140. It seems cost effective and also has room for baggage. I havent flown one yet but I'm doing my PPL training on a PA-38 if that is anything to go by.
I'm starting my hourbuilding in July so I'll be in hot climates. I intend to fly over arizona, death valley, the rockeys and others. Would the engine be powerful enough for this? The overall weight of myself, my giflfriend and the baggage shouldnt be more than 30 stone. I've read a few accounts and stories about long distance flights in hot conditions from
http://www.harvsair.com/training/flightreports.htm
If anyone has any other stories I would really appreciate hearing them as I'm sure many others would too.