I find the best deal is at record shops and craigslist and sometimes 2nd hand stores but the supply of good 80s TT is going fast. You have to look and feel the unit. Ebay will not work, believew me. You can get a real lemon.

Don’t get enamored with brands. There are many good quality ones out there.

I prefer direct drive. There are no idler wheels and belts that get brittle with age.

I like real heavy platters. The heaver the platter the better. It means that the manufacturer was serious about making a good product.

I like standard cartridge headpieces. You can mount anything in there. don't expect to find a good TT with a good cartridge. the cart is usually trash.

Speed calibration is nice but you can get devices that do this.

Antiskating is a must. Weight calibration is a must.

I don’t like builtin preamps. in fact I hate them.

I hate like linear tracking things too.

Anyway—that’s my thinking.

expect to pay $60 to $100 for a good TT.

For more worthless advice see:

http://dvautier.home.comcast.net/audio/audio.htm