I just bought a 24' round, 48" high Wilbar Reprieve with skimmer and upgraded 25 gauge liner for $2000 and this INCLUDES installation. This is my second pool from this same retailer as we are moving and are leaving our first pool behind at the first house. The installation they did on our first pool was basic but very well done. The leveling was perfect and honestly it was pretty amazing watching this crew put up that pool as quickly and skillfully as they did. I was told they put up 6 pools a day all summer and you can really see that they were very practiced at their task. There were only 2 issues I could mention regarding the job they did. One was that there was a wrinkle or two in the bottom of the liner. At 6 pools a day they were not aboout to take the time to work out all the wrinkles. The other is that they left the sod and excess dirt for me to deal with. Their installation also did not include any electrical or gas line work, I had to hire contractors to take care of that.
When I was a little girl, my parents bought an AGP at some sort of firesale and brought it home and put it in the garage. There is stayed for many years with my dad always having an excuse why he couldn't get it put up quite yet. In truth, it was a bigger job than my dad had bargained for and after getting it home and reading the installation instructions he knew that pool was never going up in our yard. Eventually, they sold that pool to my aunt and uncle and we kids got to gaze out into their yard and stare wistfully at their (our!) pool whenever we were at my aunts for Christmas Eve. Obviously, not one of my happier childhood memories.
Putting up a pool yourself when you have never done so is a big, intimidating job. But a professional crew can put one up so fast and neat it will make your head spin. Whatever you choose, make sure you are being honest with yourself about your ability to complete the job. Please don't taunt your children with a pool in a box in the garage for years that you finally give up on and sell to a relative.
So, the moral of my story is unless you are very handy and experienced, putting up a pool might be better left to a professional. So consider the cost of installation along with the cost of the pool, and possibly look for a retailer who will include the installation in the package you purchase from them. Something they can do in a hour might take you weeks of hard labor and you still might be out of level when you are done. An out of level pool is a dangerous pool and must be taken down and fixed.
Whatever happens, good luck to you!