Dream on. Real numbers (from a builder) puts that at about 50K US$ and over 100K US$. That's before VAT.
http://users.skynet.be/am279048/texte/prix2008.pdf
Add about 25% for inflation for todays numbers.
You're saying that based on... gut feel?
It's nonsense. The DA20 is one of the few planes where crashworthiness is well though-out and executed. Go read the inches-tall stack of scientific research on the DA20 w.r.t. crashwortiness for example.
Performance (or price/value ratio) that's certainly true.
But most ultralights (MLA's) are a joke in terms of crashworthiness and not a single one comes even close to the DA20 in terms of crash-survivability.
Even though your priclist is from 2008 and a bit outdated, it show that you can have various options as in any airplane. Thus the DA can also cost a hundred thousand Euros up To a quarter million euros, depending on what you want in your airplane.
With a non-Rotax engine like Sauer or some similar which cost almost three times less than a Rotax, the Pioneer 300 has been built as the Asso V for 20.000U$ in Europe. If the person is a homebuilder of course, not if he pays someone to do it. Then it costs from 50k€ onwards, depending on what you want inside.
The crashes of many DA20 is mostly attributed to pilot error. Thus this claim is based on stall speed which can allow one to land in tighter corners. This is a serious advantage of the Pioneer over the DA20 with a stall speed over 83km/h. It needs a long runway to land which reduces significantly the chances of safe landing in an emergency. The stall speed is a fact and not a gut feeling, thus both the Asso V and the Pioneer can land on a 100m land strip. Quite handy when there is a pilot error, it allows even a mediocre pilot to get away easy. Which you cannot say for the DA20 which needs at least 400m of landing strip and lands at speeds around 90km/h. It's called physics, if you are able to land a DA20 in a same way as a Pioneer 300 in around 100m, you are gonna be my hero. But I somehow doubt anyone could do it due to physics. Just google DA20 crash to see the final condition of these airplanes after the crash at high speeds, it ain't a pretty sight. And then google Pioneer 300 crash, you might not find a single one just because this airplane is so light and eaSy to handle it can litterally land on someone's lawn or short field.
The DA20 is a good airplane for what it is designed for, it is a certified aircraft for long airfields. This is what it does well, like the Cessnas, Pipers and the whole family of certified aircraft. It is too heavy and it's stall speed would not pass the EASA criteria for homebuilts, less than 65km/h maximum VSO and up to 295kg. Thus it cannot compete with homebuilts, it simply is not in the same class. Making a hombuilt from such an aircraft would simply be a waste of time and money, if one could have a nicer homebuilt aircraft for less money. Let Diamond stick to what they do well, certified airplanes. I know there is a recession that struck the aircraft building industry but this would be a major mistake by Diamond to invest into something they might only lose money from. It would be better to design a new aircraft from scratch and compete to other airplanes, the DA20 is simply not the right choice.
But hey, everyone is free to do with their money as wanted. If they wanna do it, let them. A friend of mine says that some people simply have to learn the hard way.
