Cessna 172, 182 etc... = expensive due to having to maintain it in what used to be called Private Category Certificate of Airworthiness, which means that most maintenance work needs to be performed by a licensed engineer.
If you look at the wide variety of aircraft operating in the UK under the LAA (Light Aircraft Association) permit or the BMAA (British Microlight Aircraft Association) permit, you should be pleasantly surprised at how much maintenance you can do yourself and thereby save costs. Whatever you else you might decide, don't be fooled by the EASA (European Aviation Safety Authority) permit which is hardly less onerous and expensive than the C of A.
A high percentage of permit types use the very reliable Rotax 912 series 4-stroke engines, which are designed to run on ordinary unleaded car fuel and can also use avgas which isn't recommended for ongoing use. Similarly there are many aircraft types using the fine Jabiru engines.
However if you're on a Mediterranean island, then I'm not at all sure whether the permit system is an option; unless the island is French, Spanish, Greek or Italian and falls under their equivalent systems.
Last edited by Colibri49; 14th Oct 2017 at 17:15.