I have an instructional place pretty close to me - and I’ve been told to expect $10,000 to get from nothing to instruments and about 9 months.
I work from home, and have my own schedule which helps a bit in getting things moving. I’m the kinda guy who gets a licence and takes things to an extreme. I attended Skip Barber when I was 18 just because I felt the need to max out my driving abilities. To this date, 23 years later I’ve logged about a million miles with no accidents or even severe incidents (I rearended a car about 12 years ago because their taillights weren’t functional).
I’m a focused student and practitioner. I get perfect test scores and evaluation scores and usually am at the top of the class for things (weapons, motorcycles, vehicles, etc).
I think I would make good results of anyone’s time. The pilot’s licence is something I want even if I don’t own a plane.
$10,000 to IFR? Extremely unlikely. You’ve got at least that much, and probably twice that, in flight time cost alone much less instructor costs. Instructors are another $35-$50 per hour.
A bit more .02cents fyiw:
Someone suggested renting for awhile. I’m not of that opinion. The reason renting is cheaper is because you’ll either drop flying, or, just postpone your first purchase. Before renting, you might consider joining a small club - 2, 3, 4 members, for example. Not 15. By owning, you’ll get to bond with YOUR a/c, know its quirks. As a personal thing, and not community property, as in other areas, your plane will be cleaner and better maintained. As a short duration, a club situation could give you time to consider various aircraft - what you might prefer. I suppose renting as well. Generally, many pilots purchase something akin to what they learned in - high wing vs low wing, etc.
Consider getting VFR license, and consider that license as a “license to continue to learn to fly”. An instrument rating, IMHO, should await a year or so before commencing. Gives you some time to perfect your technique, your landings - that takes some time. An IFR is mainly a lesson in organization, its mechanics is trivial. If you are ahead of the plane, you will take to IFR. If you are behind the plane, you will not - it will be difficult. Putting on a few hundred hours post VFR prior to IFR gives you time to make sure you are ahead of the plane. If you are flying a “complex” aircraft (retract, over 200 hp, constant speed prop), that takes more to get comfortable over, and to be “ahead” of it.
I have a contrary opinion to an earlier poster about a multi-engine. Steer clear. I have a fast single, sufficient for my flying. A multi is NOT for a pilot that is flying under, say, 200 hours per year (i’m doing about 80-100 these days). Plus, a multi requires lots of instruction *every* year to maintain safety. If you do the wrong things upon an engine loss, you will burn a hole in the ground. Fly for a BUNCH of years prior to considerng a multi - be VERY proficient with a single. BTW, multi engines can be quite inexpensive - to purchase - but a walletfull (or empty) to run. Two engines, perhaps turbos in the mix, mean BIG operating costs and BIGGER annual inspection costs.