@rickdrey you've gotten a million different answers here, and I think that speaks to your mission not being particularly well defined.
In particular:
1) Do you really need to carry pax, and if so, are you going to be taking someone for more than a day trip? IE, do we need to have the useful load to carry pax and bags?
2) What is your budget for operations? Also, are you planning to keep this plane after you get your airline jobs?
The answers to the above questions will answer whether you just need a 2-seater that can be economically operated to build time, or an economical 4-seater, or a high performance load hauling 4 seater.
In addition, you're probably going to want to do your commercial training in your own plane. That means either a TAA, which needs a minimum of an IFR GPS and a small PFD such as a G5 or GI275; or a complex airplane.
There are plenty of two-seat light sport aircraft that are TAA qualified for reasonable purchase prices that will burn very little fuel (3-4 gph). For example, here's an
Evektor SportStar for $49,500. I've flown a SportStar and was quite impressed, it had well harmonized controls, a great outside view, was comfortable, and climbed 1000 fpm with two big dudes aboard. That'll be the best bang for the buck to accomplish your primary goal of building time, and it's a TAA so you can use it for your commercial. You won't be able to take pax in the (nonexistent) back seat, though.
If pax is a must but you'll just be taking them on quick flights or day trips, you'll want something in the 4-seat 180+hp class. I wouldn't automatically discount retracts here - Since you'll want either TAA or complex for your commercial, you may find that a complex aircraft will cost less to acquire, and since you're time building the insurance shouldn't be an issue for long. It'll also develop good habits for your future airline career. So, it's about six of one and half a dozen of the other, as my dad would say. While an Archer or a 180hp 172 is simple to operate, they're also sold at a premium because of the demand from flight schools. You'll find a lot more bang for your buck with a Mooney M20C or M20E (same plane except 180hp for the C and 200hp for the E), or a Piper PA24 Comanche 180 or 250. If you are planning on crossing the Rockies, you'll probably want at least the M20E or maybe the PA24-250. Horsepower is your friend out there.
If you think you want to take friends on overnight trips, well, you get back to my default recommendation for a first airplane to own: The C182. It'll haul pretty much anything you can fit in the door, it'll land on any surface, it'll get places in a reasonable amount of time (though slower than the M20E or PA24-250), and they're easy to buy, easy to operate and maintain, and easy to sell. The only unfortunate bit is that they're not particularly fuel efficient, so you'll spend more money to get to 1500 hours. Because of their utility, they're also fairly popular and eat up your purchase budget too, especially if you get a TAA equipped one (or add a G5 or GI275 after the fact to make it qualify). So, the ability to haul whatever you want is definitely going to cost you money. Cheapest TAA equipped one I found is this one for $94,000:
https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/232020567/1963-cessna-182-skylane-piston-single-aircraft
Whatever you decide, please come back to the thread and tell us, and post pics of your bird!