Buying a glider, advice on type and prices

On Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 6:43:30 PM UTC-6, bobanja wrote:
Long time listener, first time caller...

Looks like I'm in the same situation as John 37. I'm returning to the
sport after many years (since about 2000) and kind of wondering which
ship to buy. I owned a Libelle 201 previously and put about 450hr on
her. The obvious choices are something like a Discus, ASW-24, or an LS.
I really don't have a limit on how much I can spend, but a $50K-$60K
(US) budget seems reasonable. Except for casual club racing, I have no
desire whatsoever to race (20+ years sailboat racing, I done), so having
the latest and greatest ship really isn't a huge priority. I'll being
using the plane just for X-counrty and pleasure flying in the western US
(California/Nevada) and I'll probably fly about 50hr/year.

So other then the obvious choices, I'm a little curious about the LAK
and the HpH ships, which really were not around when I left the sport.
Anyone care to tell me the pros/cons of buying a LAK or HpH or other?
How would you spend $50K-$60K if you were looking to buy?




--
bobanja

Well, I do not think you would go wrong buying a nice LAK-17A, an HPH304CZ or a DG600. They are all out there on W&W right now and depending on how they are equipped, and the shape they are in, you can probably purchase one in the $50-$70K range. I have always felt that all 3 gliders are really an excellent value for the money and they will give you fine performance for X-C flying out west. I am a big proponent of flaps, but if you really want a standard class ship, you can look at possibly a Discus 2 (it might be on the high end of your price range...), HPH 304C or an ASW24. Please remember that whatever you purchase be sure that it has a good trailer and one last thing...I strongly believe in good glider brakes, so try to buy a glider with a hydraulic brake. Flying out of airports out west, you may be landing at high altitude airports and a really good hydraulic brake might pay for itself someday....Good luck - Renny