Best flying mount (medium character) with leadership (or else ?)

[Yorkblack]

Hello everyone !
I'm playing a bladebound kensai magus, dex based, and even though the fly skill is fine, I would really like a mount, because I think they can be pretty good for maneuvarability, and, most of all, flavor (long story short, my character was a ranger, with a background of being an excellent rider and loving nature and animals, and got resurrected as a magus, but still keeps his personnality).
So, since magus don't get animal companions or anything, what do you think would be the best way for me to acquire a mount, and what mount in particular would be best ?
For now I thought about gettin a druid cohort via leadership, and borrowing his AC, or a synthesist eidolon, which would be pretty great (since eidolon seem to be overpowered already, having it at my lvl-2 wouldn't be a big deal, though it gets large only at lvl 8, so 10 for me). Of course monster cohort is also a possibility, but they seem to be pretty weak (you need lvl 10 for a griffon and he would be destroyed in a minute at this lvl...)

Any advices ?
Thank you !

[avr]

It is possible to get an animal companion directly via feats but it costs a lot. Nature Soul, Animal Ally, then probably Boon Companion to get it up to your level. If you go this way you want a roc.

It may be possible to outright buy a flying mount. Hippogriffs have a price of 5000 GP (+). It won't improve, but it saves you a lot of feats. Or a figurine of wondrous power (bronze griffon or ebony fly) sets you back 10 000 GP.

The leadership feat is more supposed to be a guideline than anything else IMO. It's horribly abusable as is, and as you point out it's not good for getting a simple flying mount. You might want to negotiate with your GM about it if you go that way.\

Edit: one more way, since you're dex-based melee - If you can get reduce person and permanency cast on you you'll be size small. If you then get a familiar via a magus arcana and select the mauler archetype for the familiar it can be size medium. Which means you could ride it. Even if you can't get the permanency you could just cast reduce person yourself as needed. This seems the most elegant solution.

[Yorkblack]

I am bladebound, so no familiar :/ And, I don't like the idea of being small very much. I know, it is good for me and I should use reduce person when I get the chance, but as stupid as it is, I prefer keeping my height :p

[avr]

Yeah, with the last magus I played I figured that alter self into a kobold was effective, appropriate given the kobolds we were hanging out with and all, but I couldn't make my proud catfolk do it to himself.

Missed the bladebound part, oops. I skimmed over and only kensai registered.

[Yorkblack]

Any other suggestions ? I'm not fond of buying the thing either, because it is expensive for a mount that doesn't lvl and will probably die in a few levels. Thank you for your opinion though :)

[avr]

There's the phantom steed spell. It may not please your ranger's soul but it's fast, it can fly eventually, and it's disposable.

Otherwise I'm running out of ideas here. If you take most of your levels in any of the various classes/archetypes which get an animal companion then get the boon companion feat that works, but likely you want to continue with the magus levels.