It's a buyer's market for these aircraft at the moment. Horror stories abound.
If you avoid anything that's been kept outside you can pick up a real bargain.
The 220HP is a seriously capable short field load lifter. Spares no problem.
If you don't need the STOL performance though, the 172 will be cheaper to run, with lower maintenance costs. It's not so ugly, either. Then there's that sweet running O-300.