I bought a C-150 when my wife said she wanted to get her license. I kept it a grass strip tiedown ($15/month) I insured it as my plane ($250/yr). It was stc'ed to run on car gas and burned 6 gal/hr.

She took the ground school ($200) and got a 98 on the test. We hired an instructor $15/hr. She got he license in 1 month at exactly 40 hours. The examiner cost $200.

Sold the cessna after flying it for 250 hours at a $4000 profit.

It can work for anyone if the plane is bought reasonably and you bang out the license. Actually keeping the plane long term in my opinion is a waste because a C-150 can only take you so far in aviation. It does beat the heck out of Embry Riddle price-wise (or any airport school rental for that matter).