Clearly it would be "fair to say" that any weight and/or drag reduction with all other things being equal would make the O2 go faster. Would the O2 equal the 337G? Only one way to find out, buy both. ;o)
In all seriousness, the question in my mind would be, do I want an O2-A or a 337G? If the type is truly important to you, then get the one you want. If the only concern between the two is the speed differential, then I suppose putting some type of value on the speed vs which is the better plane maintenance wise would be in order. Or buy neither until you find exactly what you want.
That last statement might be unrealistic considering the age of our airplanes. I personally would put an extremely high value on a well cared for 337/O2 over getting exactly what I want unless you are open to a complete restoration. Maintaining any airplane is where the real money is spent in my opinion. The easiest check to write is the one to buy the airplane. After that, it's "game on." How important is that 20 knots? How important is the type? How important is buying a well cared for O2/337? I would chase the airplane that in your judgement and that of your mechanic appears to have been well cared for. Buying an airplane that you want to fly but cannot because it is always broken goes exactly zero knots.
Good luck to you!!
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