Getting a Viking was an attempt at balancing a few things: my appreciation of the older aircraft construction methods; in particular, fabric and wood, my desire for a fast, well equipped airplane, and my wife's need for a nice ride.  Triangulating from those three points I think I've done fairly well.  12Y cruises at a shade under 200 mph at 7000 feet while burning a little more than 15 gallons per hour.  The resilient wood spar in the wing absorbs the buffets from turbulence and smooths out the ride beautifully, which suits my wife just fine.