I would like to point out that I do know what I am talking about and I am in a position to comment. The various run of the mill American spam cans are relatively cheap to buy and operate. I have flown many Vans RV-8s and they have really nice handling and good cruise speeds but at £80,000 for a rough one they can't be considered on cost grounds and they are significantly harder to fly than a PA38. The Bristell NG-5 is a modern 2 seat Rotax powered 2 seater that would be more fun to fly sport aircraft. It would be slightly cheaper to operate since it burns 17 L/hr of mogas as opposed to 23 L/hr Avgas. The LAA permit aircraft will be much cheaper to maintain since you are allowed to do a lot of the work yourself under the supervision of your inspector. The downside is you will need the best part of £100,000 and you still need to build it. Many people go for a Jodel because they are cheap to buy, operate and maintain.