172s are popular largely because almost all civilians learn to fly in Cessnas. After I had a few hundred hours in hang gliders and ultralights I took the lessons to get my Private Pilot’s license in Cessnas. But I already had a lot of time in my friend’s various classic planes as well, so my mind was open to other types of aircraft.
You will pay a price if you do not look into other types of aircraft.
I like high wing Cessnas for many reasons. Least of which is it’s the one I learned to fly first. My first plane was a Cessna 150 commuter. I bought it even before I had earned my pilot’s license. I like the view out of a Cessna, the ease of maintenance, not having to climb onto a wing to get inside, two doors, and other design things.
My gear retracts, but Cessna’s fixed gear is strong. Many bush operators around the world use Cessna 206s.
Both the 172 and 140 use the same size mains. The 172 has a smaller nose wheel, but it only has about 200 static lbs it needs to support, so why put a main sized tire on the nose, as Piper did. It’s not required, and only increases drag. I’ve never been in a situation where a little elevator backpressure didn’t overcome a soft-field problem in hundreds of landings and takeoffs.
There is a reason why Cherokee 140s sale for around $35k and similar year 172s go for many times that.