I would like to get a turntable to listen to some old records I have. I don't listen to records that much so it dosn't have to be a state of the art player. I would like a exotic looking player. Also a pre-amp to go with it since my Arcam don't have a phono plug. Thank for the help
Within your budget, I'd recommend looking into either the Pro-Ject Debut III or Pro-Ject 1Xpression. The Debut III is $279 or $299, depending on color. The 1Xpression is $449. Both are great tables worth every penny of their price. The 1Xpression is much better and was easily worth the $150 price increase to me. Read the "Any experience with Pro-Ject Debut III?" thread started by me.
Neither one comes with a pre-amp. The cheapest ones worth having that i can think of are the NAD P P-2 and the Pro-Ject Phono Box. Both are about $120. If you're buying both from a dealer, you could probably get a break on the price.
I'm sure their are other tt's out there in this price range, but I can't think of any. I don't know too much about used and vintage stuff, but other people here most likely do.
I agree with Stu I have the 1 Xpression and had the Debut. I would however caution against buying the 1 Xpression and using the stock Sumiko Oyster cartridge as it has a 2.3 gram tracking weight which is a bit much. I bought a Grado Blue for mine and it gives great performance at a reasonable price.
2.3gms is a bit higher than usual (1.8 - 2.2 is more usual), but given that you're not likely to be playing records lots and lots, 2.3 gms is not such a big worry. Certainly, you'd be better off buying the 1Xpression than a Debut with a better cartridge. The losses in the turntable are more important.