Right.
So the best option seems to be to get as new of an aircraft as possible.
This leaves us with three options, Cirrus, DA-40, or 182 about 10 years old.
The cirrus seems to be a very nice airplane in terms of touring and IFR capability, although someone mentioned the running costs might be a bit high.
At the moment, the 182 seems to be the best option being a very common machine and with a proven record.
We'll have to look in to the DA-40 a bit more but we're certainly interested.
Thanks for all the replies and opinions, if you have any further suggestions or can provide some details in terms of running costs for the above airplanes I'd appreciate it.