Pipers are much nicer planes
Dear Grumbler.
(cfiimeiatp here). I've flown and taught in both the cessna 172 and the piper series (warrior etc). The piper is a much better plane in my view. The throttle is more like you would find on a large plane...the Cessna throttle is more like you would find on a lawnmower.
The position of the carburetor in the piper makes it a bit warmer than the cessna, and you will probably use the carb heat much less...indeed we never used it for landing approach.
the landing gear is wider than the cessna and you will have less trouble in crosswinds. the plane has a stabilator instead of an elevator and the preflight will seem different.
Much is made of floating...remember the speeds are for a fully loaded plane and you will be less than full...refining the approach speed with the exact weights using the handbook will give you a speed with little float.
Pipers have a nice air conditioning system (optional)
The feel of the controls is quite good.
the high wing plane is a bit less stable than the low wing plane. the high wing plane has poorer visibility in my opinion...especially for work in the pattern. when you bank from base to final in the high wing plane you lose sight of the runway...the low wing plane gives you even a better view of the runway.
and on top of everything...the ultimate james bond movie used pipers instead of cessnas..."goldfinger"...watch it again and enjoy the beautiful planes and pilots of the flying circus.
there are very convenient ''tabs'' in the fuel tank for a reduced fuel amount to increase payload.