We need to get the kids a swingset/playground and I'm lost.  I see total POS metal swingsets from 99$ to kick-ass wood mansions that I want to play on up to $2500.00 and I'm sure it goes up from there.  I really like the wood ones but they are quite expensive, the ones we looked at were 1800-2500.  I've seen some nicer plastic ones such as this:
http://www.littletikes.com/toys/Toys-Detail.aspx?Product_ID=2339

Obviously more in my price range, but is the plastic sturdy?  Is it a POS?
What do you other parents out there have?

Having to post this really makes me realize how fuckin' old I'm getting.  
Thanks for any input

Go wood or metal. The plastic ones will fade, get brittle and collect water. I bought the finest swingset that KMart sells for under $100 for my kids and they love it. It's a metal one with two regular swings, a stand-up swing, one of those 4-seater back-and-forth thingies, a three-seat spin-around deal and a slide. Spent an afternoon putting it together. The wood ones are really bitchin', but as you illustrate in your post, they can go through the roof with the pricing.

The other alternative is building one from a set of plans. Going this route, you can start with the basic set, and add on as finances permit. Still, you're probably into it for $400 or so in materials. The swing seats, slides and other stuff can be a bit pricey, but a lot of accessories can be improvised, like fake telescopes from scrap PVC, canopies from tarps, climbing nets and so forth.

BTW, the proof load limit for the swings for the set that I bought my kids is something way less than 225 pounds!

Go wood and go with a used one. They last nearly forever and if you look, you can snap them up cheap. I picked up a very nice huge one for my daughter for 150 bucks. All I had to do was take it apart and haul it home.  look in the classifieds or on Craigslist for one.

kids outgrow them, but they dont rust..

Go wood, cedar if possible.  Best quality, will be around for the grandkids.

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, check out byoswingset.com,  they will ship you all the hardware and accessories, you get the wood from a local yard, and the cost is about half of what I have seen from the places like woodkingdom, etc.  I did an add-on for the big spiral slide and 4x6 extension this summer, no problems, kids love it.  

Also, check out costco, my BIL got a really nice wood set from there, had it up in one weekend, swings, rock wall, slide, the whole bit.  Very nice set, under $1500 IIRC.