The cost to operate is going to vary widely depending on the airplane you find. You might not know all the costs going in.
When we bought Juliet we went looking for a solid airframe, flown regularly. We had an independent mechanic do a prebuy, and he found several small items, but proclaimed the airplane solid. We fixed a lot of the small items on the first annual.
I looked at the spreadsheet elsewhere in this thread, and my reaction is that when going in, it is not a bad idea to be conservative on the high side.
Juliet has not cost us quite that much. We have done two annuals, the first was $1,300+ and fixed some niggles. The second was owner assisted and cost $446, and fixed some niggles (really minor ones).
We had some carb work done in last few months ($120), and change the oil every 25 hours ourselves. We also had to have the radio overhauled ($264).
Insurance is just under $600 per year. Hangar rent is $175
Of course, now we are facing either an overhaul, or selling the airplane and buying something else. Someone else on the thread pointed out it is easier to buy a plane than sell one ... yep! BTW, our plane is for sale, but does not meet your requirements. Besides, with all the 150/152's out there, you should be able to find a suitable airplane fairly local (Washington State is NOT fairly local to Florida!).
The primary reason for owning an airplane is NOT financial. The three primary reasons (in my humble opinion) for owning (not necessarily in order) are: pride of ownership; convenience; and having access to an airplane that meets your mission requirements.
Enjoy!
Reg
