Originally Posted by IO540
If you want to "hour build", under IFR, even in actual IMC, you can do it in any old bit of bent metal, and if you have a GPS somewhere you won't get lost.
Agreed, but I think I'd personally be looking for something with at the very least an ADF, VOR and GPS (although the latter could be handheld, the functionality of panel-mount units tends to be different and is better practice).
The ideal would probably be VOR + VOR/DME/ILS + ADF + GPS which will allow pretty much anything you'd ever want to practice.
G