Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forums here and i'm looking for some thoughts and input on my plans. I am an 18 hr student that quit training after soloing about 15 months ago. I've recently relocated and started flying again (only one lesson so far) with an instructor I really like. My CFI is teaching full time, and I'm fortunate enough to have the time and resources at this point in my life to train very frequently. I've talked to my instructor about dedicating 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week for ground and flight instruction, with the hopes of finishing up my private ticket in about a month, and he is all for this plan. I have not yet taken/passed my written test, an I admit that I'm not extremely disciplined when it comes to self studying. I have the Rod Machado book and the Sporty DVD's which I have found helpful so far. My question is, has anyone tried this kind of approach? I figured it will be less expensive than going to a 'real' accelerated flight school. I also think that the immersion will help prevent the whole 'retraining' that takes place when lessons are spaced a week apart. Has anyone else tried this approach? Do you think my time frame is reasonable (4-6 weeks)? My main purpose for getting my ticket (other than having a passion for this whole flying thing) is to commute to work. My brother in law and I own a company about 100 miles from where we live in the desert of Southern California, and the 2-3 hour commute (each way) into Long Beach every day is starting to wear on us - every day we think about how nice it would be to have the ability to fly to work (airports at each end are less than 5 miles away from our final destination)

Also, on a slightly different topic, I know I'll be buying a plane soon. Ultimately I would like to have a turbo-charged 6 seater, since I'd like to haul my family around and turbo because I'll be flying over the San Bernardino mountains every day. I was thinking about a Piper Cherokee 6 or maybe even a Saratoga. My dilemma is, should I go for the complex, high performance retractable right off the bat, or should I buy a decent 172 (the type i'm training in) and build some time before moving into a bigger beast? I was thinking it might make sense to get a Cessna now and do my training in my own plane - save the cost of renting since I'll be buying one soon anyway. It will mainly be used for commuting with 2 or 3 people, and I know the total cost of ownership will be much cheaper on a Cessna 172.

Sorry for the ramblings, and I'd love to hear advice anyone has to offer!