The 170 is all about fun, challenge, and developing my skills as a taildragger pilot. After flying it for 600 hours with probably several thousand landings under my belt I still feel like I am getting all of that and more.
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
The 172 was purchased for my one man flight school as a trainer. I did not feel that the 170 would be the best choice for that, not to mention that it is equipped for VFR only. In other words the 172 was much more practical in the flight training role than the 170. Plus I don't think that I could sit in the right seat of a 170 for very many hours with new pilots learning to land before someone made a mistake that I wouldn't be able to straighten out. I just didn't want the extra liability.
The 172 has been a great airplane so far, it has fairly low hours and is a pleasure to fly. It is by no means as exciting to fly as the 170, nor has it ever drawn attention on the ramp like the 170. But it's performance is better, and when the winds are crosswind to the runway and gusting 15kts I don't think twice about flying. To be fair though, I should mention that my first 300 or so hours in the 170 were with 1/2" -3/4" toe out between the main gear and it was pretty squirrelly on landing so that has left me with a deeper respect for crosswinds than is probably warranted.
The 172 is a much better cross-country ride than the 170, in my opinion. It is a bit faster, climbs better, is more stable (my 170A does not have dihedral), and a bit more comfortable inside. The drawbacks of the 172 are less visibility, less rudder effectiveness (at least that is how it feels), and slow control response (the same thing that makes it more stable also make the control response seem more "truck-like").
With all of that said, my daughter will probably be going off to college in two years and the 172 will be a bit more practical to use to visit her. So at this point, if I had to decide between the two, I would chose the 172. But it would be a decision similar to choosing the minivan over the '66 Mustang.
![Crying or Very sad :cry:](./images/smilies/icon_cry.gif)
David