The Mara machines are reconditioned MCIs which I remember from the ’70s in studios. I’m pretty sure they get credit for auto-locate- you could punch in a number and the deck would advance (or rewind) to that point. These were 24 tracks, with MCI boards, which weren’t super expensive at the time. I know the Ampex and Studer machines tend to be regarded as 1st tier; I don’t know enough about the MARA machines to comment, other than that the product they reconditioned was a relative bargain, and considered to be an advancement, in the solid state world at the time.
It’s hard to translate studio to home-- I heard these things in a context where the tape was new, the recording was fresh and I was listening to multi-track. It’s 50 years later. It is an antediluvian technology and that can be addressed; to my knowledge, MCI was popular. back in the day precisely because it wasn’t considered "Swiss jewels."
But from a home audiophile perspective, Mike and the others I flagged will be able to give you a more current perspective as a home listener/user, and perhaps, where you can find value.
Here's a piece on MCI: https://museumofmagneticsoundrecording.org/ManufacturersMCI.html
As to Otari, I understand it sounds good as a sort of interim step, like pro-sumer, but the deck will be the least costly part of this-- the tapes are gonna cost in today's market.