The new designs have not proven they are better than the 27. The JS-3 while very innovative, has very low wing area, which might prove a hindrance on weaker days, and the V3 has not competed in 15 meters. The 27 might very well be the equal of these newer gliders and priced right to get younger pilots into competitive ships, just one reporter's musings.


On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 3:00:07 PM UTC-7, Michael Opitz wrote:
At 17:04 09 August 2017, Tango Eight wrote:
The thing that's always driven willingness to throw down a lot of
money on
=
a glider is competition. $80K is, any way you slice it, a lot of money
for=
a 15+ year old glider (just ask any of our wives :-)). There are a
thousa=
nd reasons the 27 is a great glider. However, performance in
competition
i=
s the one that supported the market price of used 27s at roughly
"every
dim=
e I spent on it since new". =20

What's happening in the competition world? Connect the dots...

Evan Ludeman / T8


Speaking of the USA market, T8 is correct. That is how it has behaved
for the last ~35+ years. As soon as a ship is not at a top competitive
level, the resale value has dropped off rapidly. In Europe, clubs will
tend to buy up these gliders, which means that the market will support
higher prices for these types of birds. In the USA, the re-sale market is

(and has been, but is getting worse due to declining participation) too
thin, so now that the V3 and JS3 are coming out, the ASW-27 and V2
prices will fall. That is just the nature of the beast in the USA....
RO