I'd suggest you strike off the Lak 12 as a first glider - but note
that I haven't flown one, so am only commenting from what I've been
told by owners.

It was actually produced in Lithuania, and the Lak factory is still
running so parts wouldn't be a major issue. However, it has real
difficulties as a first glider:

1. Big wings (20 metres I think). Learning big wing handling takes
time, and it's better to have experience in 15m first. You need to be
thinking rather further ahead, which requires more experience flying
something less challenging.

2. Very heavy rigging because the wings are one piece (OK, two piece
in the sense of one each side). No Lak 12 owner says rigging is easy,
though with rigging aids it's acceptable. Without aids its a 3 to 4
person rig and needs some serious muscle.

3. Because of the wing length it's a non-standard trailer at least 12m
long, probably longer. A big beast to tow.

4. Flaps. Others have explained why flaps are for a later glider.

5. Heavy, thus lots of energy to manage on landing. Lak 12s have a
reputation for ground looping, which I believe is largely due to the
pilot being behind the glider rather than thinking ahead of it -
again, a matter of experience.

Having said all that, I'm told it's pleasant to fly and has excellent
XC performance. Really good value on a performance/price measurement.
If I were looking for one (as a 500 hr pilot) I'd want to be satisfied
that the trailer was in first-class condition. I'd also want to help
rig it, to work out whether it would ever leave the trailer in
practice!

The other glider worth commenting on is the Astir CS. I used to own a
share in one, and this was my first glider. Huge cockpit, easy to fly
with no real vices, solid gel coat and sturdily built - will take
minor knocks without structural damage. It felt quite stodgy to fly,
with less feedback through the controls than other gliders (probably
because of its sturdy construction), but with experience in the glider
you could feel what it was doing.

Rigging is in fact very easy, just different. It's a matter of lining
up all the pins and then sliding it together - if it won't go, either
it's not lined up right, or the pins need grease, or the bottom of
the spar is binding on the fuselage (the trick here is to get someone
on hands and knees under the wing root to arch their back up to lift
it slightly). My syndicate partner and I could rig in under 10
minutes, but a helper who didn't understand could make things
impossible by, for example, wiggling the wings to "help".

I also have time in an LS4, which is as nice as everyone says. It's
price/performance ratio is high, though, so I'd probably buy something
cheaper and learn its vices. If you never intended to buy another
glider, an LS4 would be nice enough for all your flying, and that
would justify the high price. If someone gave me an LS4 I'd definitely
keep it!