I often suggest Discus or ASW-24's for pilots in your position. Those that have taken my advice have always been pleased with the result. We have 5 of them in our club right now. They have benign handling but can be pushed for really good cross country performance. They are competitive in sports class. They have great factory support and there are lots of them out there. They are easy to resell when you are ready to go flapped 18M. Especially Discus.

I second the opinion on pick the general type you are interested in and buy the one with the best trailer. It's hard to underestimate how ground handling can influence things.

I think it's also a good idea to not buy something too expensive while you are getting your feet wet flying XC. You need to feel comfortable putting the ship in harms way (out of glide range of an airport). That was always a concern of mine.

I wouldn't even consider an ASW-20 or -27 for a low time pilot. They are great aircraft in the right hands, but there are better options out there for low time pilots.