As a mechanic and pilot, I have seen my fair share of planes inside and out. I have flown at least 50 different planes, and 30 plus different types, and they all meet a need. Beech vs Cessna is too broad, because you can't compare a mouse to a Bonanza. The 19/23 series was a bad attempt at the trainer market imo. Bonanza is more like a swiss watch in comparison. I think you can put all the 100 series between the 2. The 210 is more on par with a Bonanza. As far as quality, its been proven either can go 10000+ hours, but they both require lots of upkeep. The rest I think comes down to personal preference.

I prefer how a Bonanza flies over any Cessna. Cessna always feels like your driving a truck. Earlier models are not as bad because they are lighter. My neighbor probably has one of the nicest early 182's in the country. I like flying it, but don't love flying it. I loved flying our C35 we had. Bonanza is like flying a sports car. It was light on the controls and went like a rocket. 210 is heavy on controls, so is a V35B, but the V35B is at least still responsive.

You know the irony in all this? They started out under one roof in the beginning, and roughly 90 years later, they are back under one roof, go figure.

What an interesting thread. In my mind one major point has hardly been touched on, being the intended mission. The fact that there are so many Cessnas, Pipers and Beechcraft flying and working well beyond their original design life tells me they are all good planes. The fact that beech may have been a bit neater in its rivet spacing or panel overlaps is nice but not necessarily better. I am sure if you buy a poorly maintained version of any brand you are likely to be buying a nightmare in necessary fixes.

For me the best plane is the one that best fits your mission. It is impossible to define the best plane without first defining the mission. I fly a 177rg not because I think it is better than other planes, rather it was the best fit for my mission. Rarely more than just me and my wife, comfortable, 150knots @ 42 litres per hour and a simple Lycoming 4 cylinder engine. A big thing was also the ease of access. I want something I can enjoy in my retirement, which is only a few years off. I was worried that as I got older the gymnastics required to get into a Piper, Beech or Mooney might just get too hard.

If I wanted to regularly carry 3 passengers and bags on long trips it would have been a terrible choice. Likewise a 210 or Bonanza 36 would have been an equally bad choice as my mission comes nowhere near justifying the running costs.