My prediction is to get a halfass decent new plug and play turntable nowaday, you would have to pay a little over a grand for it, and it will require some form of setting up. With that kind of money, there are plenty of good, solid used turntable to choose from, and probably for a lower price.
I would never pay over $800 for a good used table, if it came with a highend arm, then I would pay a little over $1,000, $1200.00 max, that's my rule. All my used tables cost less than $500.00, they are all plug and play and came with decent arms, required a little adjustment here and there,of course, and that's how you learn, newbies. They kick low end Pro-jects ass big time. They didn't come with shattered plinth either.
Am I just lucky or what?
As you know very well by now, low end Pro-ject aren't worth a shit, high end Project aren't cheap, they wanted over $1,000 for a piece of MDF with their "better arm", for crying out loud, not worth it in my book. I'd say we have no choice but to take our chances and buy used, or shell out $2,000 to buy a new VPI or something. But do whatever you want, of course.
A good used table beats a low end new table, and probably cost less, but the plinth may come in many pieces, do you feel lucky, punk.
