In the early '90s I can recall having two options regarding renting an airplane as I also pursued my PPL, the FBO I worked in was awash with young CFIs just trying to build time and network and if you were friendly with them they'd often teach for free (I have a very small amount of rotary wing time in my logbook from a helicopter pilot that was trying to build CFI time and I didn't pay a cent for that). As I recall the mighty C-152 was $38/hr wet (I might've been making $10/hr) and they didn't want to hear any nonsense from a line guy about adjusting the rate because I could fuel it at cost. It took me a awhile to understand why they felt that way but as an old fart I appreciate their consternation. The other option was a '56 C-172 (it still had venturis on the side and setting gyros was part of the take off) that one of our tenants used to let me fly for free if I'd put gas and oil in it, I think fuel was probably less than $3.00/gallon retail and I'd just pay cost for the fuel and occasionally smuggle a few quarts of oil and it cost me about $13/hr. The CFI was a friend that was teaching me for free and scheduling became sporadic, nothing against him as a teacher, a pilot or a person, but that is not in my opinion the best method to gain enough proficiency to pass a check ride. A few years later I was in a position where I had enough money to just enroll in a flight school and get it done with a real curriculum, stage checks done by multiple instructors and flying at least twice a week (sometimes three or four) and I passed my check ride with flying colors (pun intended), that trusty C-152 cost $75/hr. I chose to do it in the two seater rather than the Warrior I preferred because it was $15/hr cheaper. I wanted to ace my check ride so I blocked a bunch of time in a C-152 to practice patterns, soft field, short field, and any other scenario that might arise. I flew so much in the week before my check ride that I wore a hole in the skin on my left elbow where it sat on the armrest of that dutiful Cessna. It all worked out despite a band-aid. The last time I looked the cost to rent a Warrior is over $200/hr wet. I guess I got in near the bottom.Away back in 1971-72, I paid 17/hr for a C150 with instructor as I pursued a PPL. Fuel was around $1.16/gallon. Those days are long gone