i have found that finding a *good* record player for less than $250 has
been darn near impossible. i could get any old pioneer sony big loada
shit for 100 bucks new and very cheap used, but it's slim pickings
elsewhere.
though i pick up an old technics at park-n-swap for 20$, which worked for
maybe a week.
record players, even when you get a good one, tend to be a bitch. and
yeah, it's cheap, but i can't imagine being in love with a format that
degrades on each use.