However, I suspect that I am in the minority of being a PPL with a serious IFR aeroplane.
I suggest there is a flip side to this problem. I am a CPL/IR without a serious aeroplane. I'm finding it very difficult to locate a decent and legal aircraft for European travel to hire. Either the A/P is U/S, or some critical aspect of the the de-icing equipment is duff or it doesn't have Mode S or even the basic avionics are missing that oh so crucial device, the ADF or some other malady. It seems to me that the only people who are really able to access a decent and sufficiently equipped aircraft are sole owners - that is out of my price range by quite a long way. Even with the pieces of paper, getting airborne legally and safely will probably remain one of the major hurdles.