Hi Katamarino best to join the Cardinal Club before buying as they have a good pre buy check guide. The fixed gear is best for grass fields, RG wheels are small, still have flash backs of a soft field takeoff in one, it rolled 1700feet
on a 2100ft runway before becoming unglued, normal roll under 1000.
With speed mods, VP prop and tuned exhaust nearly as fast as an RG.
The 177 was going to replace the 172 but buyers stepped over it to the 182.
Is the only Cessna with a stabilator like a PA28, so handles different not a big 172, will take a little training for the landing. Light handling, no big out of trim loads with all the flaps down on go around. Can lift nearly as much payload as a 182 without the fuel burn, with slightly longer ground run on takeoff. Good personel aircraft, the best are French built, as all corrosion proofed.
The only down side is it uses a Lycoming 360 series engine, which has many built in design faults. A low usage machine WILL lose the camshaft, due to rust pitting, also exhust valve sticking due to poor oil flow to valve gear and cylinder 3 suffers cooling problems in a Cardinal down to Cessna. Lycoming state they can only make the 2000hr tbo if used 40hours a month. Avoid any duel mag version rather than 2 single mags very little support for this abomination of a a magnito.
We operated 2 RGs over nearly 20 years I think on paper the best all rounder
in the 180/200 HP class but you must have a maintenace organisation with the specialist knowlege of Cardinals repeat its not a big172 more a smaller 210 same wing.
The guys a Derby are the UK specialists with spares on hand I would suggest talking to them if you want to buy one as they know most of them in the UK.