On Friday, April 5, 2019 at 10:31:48 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 8:07:42 PM UTC-4, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 11:46:26 AM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:

Here's the math for an ASW-20:

- Moderately crazed ASW-20 in otherwise fair shape. $25K
- Full refinish at retail north of $25K (being generous here)
- Total cost $50K (forget about all the other stuff - instruments, trailer, etc.)

Now, go look at the classifieds. Several nice to very nice ASW-20s for mid $30K.

So a fair price for a "Moderately crazed ASW-20 in otherwise fair shape" would be $8K. Invest $25-30K in repair and you'd get a good glider for $33-38K. Buyer deserves some compensation for the hassle, risk and delay of refurbishment.

People who're setting unreasonably high prices for their poor condition gliders are hurting themselves, and hurting the sport by making it harder for young people to get into the sport.

I suggest that people who want to get into the sport start offering a reasonable price for trashed gliders $5-8K. Sellers (or the executors of their estates) will eventually come to their senses.

Here is the reality from somebody who has been doing this for more than 2 decades.
It is almost impossible to buy a glider at a price the seller will accept, refinish it commercially, and sell it at a favorable price. If it was that easy, everybody would be doing it, including the refinish people.
My experience is that a refinish adds somewhere around half the commercial cost to the salable value of the glider.
A recent example.
Club member buys a Cirrus 75 with older Komet trailer for $12000.
Over 2 years he refinished it in my shop. It required almost exactly 400 hours, mostly his labor. Materials(polyester finish) cost about $1000.
He now has a very nice glider that may get $22K or so on the market.

Someone wanting to enter the market that does not have the resources to pay for a "nice"(defined as not expecting to need a refinish anytime soon) glider, is going to have to settle for an older glider needing clean up and care and fly it for a few years while saving up the dough for a nicer glider.