Another vote for a Saab Safir. The D model, that is. The B model has three seats and a fuel tank behind the left seat, while the D model has wing tanks and four seats. That, and the B is powered by an O-435, which makes a wonderful six-pot sound, but is getting quite expensive to maintain, while the D is powered by an O-360. 190 hp in the former and 180 in the latter, but the 360 is also quite a bit lighter.
Another bonus is that the landing gear and flaps are mechanical, saving lots of trouble and maintenance. It can also be landed gear-up without hull damage, as the wheels protrude slightly. So, no damage to the fuselage, wings or engine, provided the prop is horizontal.
I fly the Safir myself, and handling-wise I rate it at the very top of all GA planes, together with the Chipmunk and Jungmann. The latter, incidentally, designed by Anders J Andersson, the same chap who did the Safir.