I think i will invest another 5k in training and handling skills
That always sounds like a good plan.
Incidentally, last summer I was at an airfield in NE Spain (LECD - La Cerdanya) where I briefly met a local pilot and his wife in a C172--a couple weeks latter I read in the local press they had crashed in the mountains not far from there. Last night I was browsing the website of the Spanish equivalent of the AAIB and read the final report on this accident.
The cause? Loss of control after entering a stall while attempting to gain sufficient height to cross a ridge. This resulted in the death of the pilot who was not wearing his shoulder strap, and serious injuries to the two rear passengers--the remaining front seat occupant walked away with only light injuries.
This guy had been a PPL for about six months, with a grand total of about 120hrs. He had been flying his own plane.
It is my belief that, had he been flying a club aircraft, he would have been more likely to stay in contact with, and receive advice from, more experienced pilots who if nothing else would have had an interest in the integrity of the airframe (go on, call me a cynic
). As a matter of fact, in my aeroclub we have a number of private pilots who own their own planes but they still collaborate with the club--they participate in club activities, fly with other pilots, etc. I can't see these guys making such a basic, and tragic, handling mistake.
Bottom line, stay in touch, fly with, and listen to the more experienced pilots. Perhaps you will find someone you like and take him flying with you in exchange for his experience (plus in a spamcan you will often need two pilots anyhow to negotiate the most complex airspace, etc.)
HTH
PD: Crossed posts with the two above gentlemen, giving essentially the same advice.
PPD: Here's the link to the aforementioned accident report, in Spanish only I'm afraid: A-021/2007