if it flies ***** or floats then always cheaper to rent
... Than own? That's not my experience. Perhaps a cute little quip, but not really meaningful with respect to aircraft use.
Utilization has everything to do with that value in ownership with most things, including aircraft. If you're only ever going to use it a few times a year, then yes, it's probably more cost effective to rent it.
However, a person committed to learning to fly, earning a PPL, and thereafter building meaningful experience cannot do better than to buy a share or all of a suitable aircraft. I bought my C 150 28 years ago, in the midst of people asking me to be partner on a C 182, or C 310. I could not afford "the big iron" (and it turns out neither could they!). I still own the 150, and after looking at my use (average about 120 hours for each of those years), and it's value, it's nearly been paying me to fly it, other than the cost of fuel and insurance.
If you're committed to getting to the 500 hour experience mark, you can't loose owning some or all of the plane you fly to get there. If you're not really sure, then yes, rent, until you're sure.
If you're renting, someone somewhere is making a profit from you, and you're paying the top price for that product, because they are building in all kinds of allowances for wear and tear which you can mitigate if you own it.
If you own your own aircraft, you know who flies it, and what condition it's in. I have 28 years of knowing exactly what has been done with my 150 during every hour of its flight. No surprises, low operating cost.
Don't make your decisions based upon quips on the internet, base them on good research.