Rod1 - I am not getting into the "PFA debate". Fuel is only a part (under a half) of the direct operating cost. It has
always been the case that flying a lawn mower with wings, even an enclosed one, is much cheaper than flying an IFR legal and more importantly IFR capable machine with a 20k/25k ft ceiling and the capability to do a 900nm leg across Europe, above most weather etc. You pays your money and you takes your choice. One day I may be "VFR only" and then I will join your camp - but I will be doing it with a carbon fibre airframe with a PT6 on the front of it
and not a Rotax
FYI the DOC of my TB20 is less than renting a C150 from a school.
Sternone - you ask 50 pilots and you get 50 answers. It's partly an emotional choice - especially if you fly only VFR - and everybody is "right" in what they bought.
For European IFR touring, looking at the cloud tops being below 18k or so some 95% of the time, the best buys will be the TB20 / SR22 / DA42 kind of thing. If you are happy with one door (I am not) then this expands to Mooneys.
IMHO you can't beat a TB20 and I would buy another one today - get a good condition TB20
GT and expect to pay £ 120k-150k depending on hours, avionics etc. It's an attractive, modern, comfortable and very civilised plane which everybody loves to fly in, 5-6 hours even. Try to get one with the GNS430+GNS530, or the alternative KLN94+KMD550, and the KFC225 autopilot. Shadin flowmeter and EDM700 of course.
I have never flown the SR22 but would imagine it is similar. The fuel flow is similar at a given speed to the TB20. However, TB prices are more depressed due to Socata's botched announcement of the production stop, which is in your favour.
You will never get back what you paid - the way to look at this is that you will keep the plane for a long time.