A price of 17K for a Varieze is not low. I've seen them range from 10K to 24K for a flying aircraft. Most are in the 15K to 20K range depending on equipment.
The problem with the wing attach corrosion seemed to hit them pretty hard. Although it seems to be a non-issue, have a experienced builder check out any purchase.
Also check with David Orr. He keeps a database of aircraft and may have some info on it. He is listed in the member directory or links section.