[Tim Hancock]

Ditto on what Joe said about doing it in a short time period.

I got my private from a local little airport that rented out an old Cessna 150 and a 172. They had a couple of young part-time instructors that were building commercial time.

I got my ticket in 1994 in about 3 months for about $2500.
I ended up with 46 hours total (40 hrs is the minimum yet most end up with 60-80 hrs due dragging it out over a long time). If you fly at least 3-4 times a week, you will progress much quicker which will save you lots of money. You can buy some Gliem books to study for your written tests instead of taking a "ground school". Using the books to study, you can easily pass the tests with high 90's scores.

It really does not matter what you fly in when getting your private. Pick a cheap plane to rent like an old Cessna 150 or Piper 140. There is nothing special about a "new" Cessna 172 other than the ridiculous hourly rental rate. It will not fly any "better".