Slab wing or taper wing a Cherokee is a Cherokee...
They all sound like someone's dragging a load of metal dustbins across the grass when they land.
During the night of the October storm a Cherokee turned into wind and then drifted with the gusts across Redhill Aerodrome to end up in the mud without damage.
Lot's of aeroplanes were damaged but this Cherokee stayed stubbornly on the ground. It was the Hershey Bar wing version.
Stephen was going on and on yesterday about how he could plonk his Cherokee 140 anywhere... True. Close the throttle and fly a breeze block (lighter than most bricks but with more draggy wetted area).
My brother goes on and on about his new wingtips that add a few knots to the cruise and a bit of float to the landing hold-off, (Cherokee 140). I tell everyone it's the aviation equivalent of a K Car and my brother hates me for it!
I think the question is of how old an aeroplane you want?
I think one should go for a strong modern composite airframe
If you don't like the tapered wing, what about the Piper T Tails! (Arrow IV, Lance, Seminole) a fashion statement?
I've flown Cherokee 140/150/160/180/Arrow II, and Warrior/Archer/Arrow III and I didn't notice much difference.
BTW the Cherokee 140 is cleared for spinning but the Warrior isn't... Might have a bearing on the spin accident statistics.