Since most gliders are made in Europe, both their new and used prices
tend to follow the value of the Euro. If you live in Europe or a
related trading area, this makes it pretty simple. For the rest of
us, it's tougher. Some years ago, the Euro was trading at 0.7 or so
to the US dollar, it peaked around 1.5 and is now running around
1.25. The basic price of a new 15m sailplane here has thus varied
from around $40,000 to over $80,000 (plus trailer, instruments and
shipping).

In the USA, the price of second-hand gliders has tended to track the
Euro, but with a time lag and a lower amplitude. This has meant that
it sometimes pays Americans to buy used gliders from Europeans and
vice versa. The price of an older glider is also very dependent on
condition of the finish, damage history, quality of instruments and
the trailer. These can very often add up to 50% of the value of an
older ship and makes it hard to develop a "blue book" type of approach
that works so well for cars.

Mainstream brands whose manufacturers are still in business tend to
hold their value better and some "classic" gliders always seem to sell
well, despite their age. Some older ships that are notoriously heavy
or hard to rig also can be had more cheaply (ask me about my
Jantar-1!)

Mike