Need guidance on best turntable in the 3K-3.5K range

@oldaudiophile 

Make sure you have an absolutely rock-solid surface to park any TT on

I have taken this advice literally!  My Garrard 301 sits on 2 slabs of Sydney sandstone separated by constrained layer damping.  About 40-kg of rock-solid.

Have just bought two more slabs at A$40 each to go under my new Holbo Air-bearing table.  This will be the third table I have owned in 60 years.

Ultrasonic cleaners do not have to be that expensive.  I paid under A$300 for a Chinese unit which works very well, if noisily, when used with the chemicals recommended by Neil A @antinn 

Technics 1200GR2 is about $2500 new and you will have enough left over for a nice cartridge. I would also look at the Thorens offerings (160, 125, etc) at Vinylnirvana

+1 for George Merrill's GEM Dandy Signature Polytable.  As a MOF, this will probably be my next purchase. 

Happy listening

I really appreciate the VERY good advice you gents have given me. 

Strange thing: A buddy sold me a TT/Pre to "tide me over" for $800- a Pro-Ject X8 with a Sumiko Blue Point #3.  He threw in about 50 records. He hated it- his subs made the tonearm bounce. He played maybe 2 albums on it and idled it.

So, as many have advised I think a good Phono preamp is in order- maybe a used Ref 3, some good cabling, and then some careful critical listening. 

I have gotta tell ya, interacting with vinyl has been really lovely. My 14 year old son has really taken to the whole vinyl thing- and he's a modern digital kid with Axiom computer speakers and a sub. He LOVES the warm sound of an LP and loves digging around in the record crate. He exclaimed "The sleeves have the song's WORDS on them!" 

I'm pretty sure my initial budget (with the exception of the real deal on the X8) will go 3x. Oh well- I'm experiencing so much reward and gratitude interacting with the "art of vinyl" that the price isn't painful- yet. :)  

Again, I say "Thank You" for the generous advice. 

You will not go wrong with an Audio Research REF 3... actually anything above a PH8. But REF 3 is outstanding.