How about Vans Aircraft? Homebuilt are often overlooked, but an RV-10/14 gives you some good options. Only downside with homebuilt IMO is lack of ability to train in them.
My wife got her PPL and all the sudden had an opinion on what to buy. :) She's now a CFII so her opinion matters.
I still would be into getting one if my wife was sold on home built.
Plus the freedom to modify. In a Cessna, you can’t so much as run a USB charger out to the panel without the FAA coming down on you like a ton of bricks. On an experimental, if you want the latest electronics or if you want to swap in a different engine, go right ahead, sparky!
(Disclaimer: I’m 3.5 years into a RV-7 build so I’m biased)
You're not kidding. I think the cheapest annual inspection I've ever seen was around $2,000 for an old, clean 172 that needed zero actual work. More typical is ~$4,000-$10,000 for a modern-ish 4 seater, depending on what they need to do. Throw in $20,000 every several years for an engine overhaul. If you have a G1000 and they need to touch it, it's going to cost you at least half a car.