Thank you all for all the responses! I must say that isn't really the consensus I expected (was expecting to be met with a healthy dose of skepticism), but hey that's exactly why I posted the question in the first place. Yes the cost of the extra training hours in the 182 may be a little pricier than if I completed the PPL in a rented 152 or 172, but I can't help feeling how much more comfortable I would be in the airplane as a newly minted PPL having done all my training with the more complex systems. Not to mention in these parts the cost difference is actually probably negligible...
To answer a couple earlier questions, no I am not planning to opt for the RG models as I don't feel I need the extra cost, maintenance, complexity, etc. at this point in time. I feel like my hands will be full enough with the constant speed prop, cowling, and potentially carburettor heat to worry about (assuming I opt for a pre-reboot model).
Thanks again for the responses guys, really appreciate it.