There is a definate relationship between boat quality and maintainance. Cheaper lighter wt boats have minimal speck rigs and kit which is consiquently working near its limit and will fail sooner, but of course is cheaper to buy/replace. Buying a quality old boat can be a bargin but can mean all that very expensive heavy kit is near the end of its life. You need to get a feel about where in the life cycle it is, is most of the kit good for another 5 years of 10 years at your expected leavel of use. Is it actually good enough (dont expect lightweight stuff desinged for weekend sailing to do a circumnavigation). A quality old boat where everything is either missing ofr definatly shot can also be a bargin because you can get here for hull value and one you replace stuff you have a boat as good as new but it has to be the sort of boat where the hull and interior develope an attractive patterna with age, you will never see MFI in an anteques sale room!