As I was telling my student, you might want to try looking into a C210. Single engine with some juice behind it. 6 placers with around 1300-1600 useful. Has a pretty good speed, you can find some with K-ice, but saves your the cost of going twin. A C210 will not cost as much as a 310 and maintenance, insurance, etc will be considerably cheaper. Plus you are burning half the fuel for almost the same performance.