So many great golden era DD tables out there, what do you recommend for $1000?

IMO the best buy for a DD turntable under $1,000 is a Luxman PD-121 or PD-131.  Pair that w/ a Micro Seiki MA-505 MkII tonearm and you are in the game.

Honorable mention goes to the Teac TN-400, a great little deck that requires a plinth and tonearm.  They are reasonably priced and feature a very quiet drive.

The SP10 Mk2 is a great deck, but for $1,000 these days you are probably going to find a unit that has had hard use at a radio station or needs repair.  They are also big, when you consider the external PS and the need for a plinth of some kind.

There are lots of other great DD decks out there.

Dear @uberwaltz :

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DENON-DP-60L-Direct-Drive-TURNTABLE-WORKING/153428377243?_trkparms=aid%3D333200%26algo%3DCOMP.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D59957%26meid%3D96c1c6ffbcb8455088b1cd60d6bdb8bc%26pid%3D100008%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D383129488065%26itm%3D153428377243%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219


https://www.vinylengine.com/library/denon/dp-60l.shtml


file:///C:/Users/Sylvia/Downloads/ve_denon_dp-60l_brochure_en_imp_scan.pdf

R.

The Technics SL-1700mk2 (semi-auto, quartz locked) fits the bill very nicely for me. You can get a restored unit without cartridge in your budget range. Spend another $300 on an Audio-Technica VM540ML with microline contact stylus, and you’ve got something that’s hard to beat. I’ve got one such turntable, as well as another that’s in the restoration process, which will be equipped with a mono cartridge and VM540ML stylus. Parts are somewhat more available because these turntables were the basis for the SL-1200mk2, but the SL-1700mk2 is the audiophile choice, while the SL-1200mk2 is the DeeJay and rap-“DJ” choice. You can also go SL-1800mk2 if you prefer fully manual or SL-1600mk2 if you want fully automatic. 

What is the main difference between 1700 mk1 and mk2?
Just the servo to brushless motor or more?

"Servo" and "brushless" are not mutually exclusive; one has nothing to do with the other. But beyond that, I cannot answer your question.
Sleepwalker,  You have often mentioned the SL1700.  Are you referring to the vintage version?  Last time I was in Tokyo, I saw the SL1700 for sale brand new; Technics apparently still make them.  What I saw might hvae been "Mk2" or Mk3".  But I think they are "old technology", which is to say not related to the SL1200G series: therefore no coreless motor, and none of the other associated improvements.  As you know, for well less than $2K, one can have one of the G series SL1200s. (I forget the correct alphanumeric designation for the least expensive model.)  Unless the SL1700 that you have in mind is dramatically cheaper, I cannot imagine why one would prefer it over a G series.  (I do realize we have been over this ground before.  It's just that I've forgotten your response.)