If I had 10K I'd get a Turbulent and use the rest ofthe money to cover hangarage/running costs/maintenance etc.
Bingoboy, sounds like you could do with a Turbulent, its not aerobatic but its got good crisp controls, apparently.
When I get my license, hopefully this summer I'm probably going to try out the Tiger Clubs Turbulents, they're only £45 an hour. I just really like the look of them. If I like them as much as I think I will, I think I might look into starting a Turbulent group with 2-4 members.
By the way, for an airfield around London, ie: White Waltham, Stapleford, Denham, Fairoaks etc etc how much might one expect to pay per year for hangarage and landing fees? £1000? Because this seems like it might be one of the biggest problems.