Recommendation for analog set for $700

Do you have a HiFi shop nearby? They would be able to put together a package deal; TT, cart, and phono preamp.
If buying used, of course condition is important, but also consider the possible damage during shipping. ie: suspension TTs do not travel well.

Google Needle Doctor. It's a good source to see what TTs are available for any budget.

I have a number of cartridges that are more than 20 years old that still work perfectly. I havent yet had a problem with suspension drying out or collapsing. Maybe thats more of a problem in the desert, but our humidity here in Florida does not cause a problem with suspension decay. So long as the stylus is still in good shape, the cartridge should play as its supposed to. You can always replace the stylus at Soundsmith.

A Sony PSX 60, 65 or 70 is a good vintage table, as well as PS6750 and PS2251. Any of the Technics SL1200 variations that have not been abused by a DJ. For your budget you can probably also pick up a Rega P3-24 with cartridge or AR ES-1.

I would go for the Music Hall MMF5.1 that Questforsound has up for $695. You will get a warranty and dealer support, that you definitely need unless you're really experienced with turntables. It comes ready to go with a cartridge and dustcover and sounds very good. I would not fool around with an Oracle or anything that needs professional setup, unless you are experienced with that sort of thing. For a phono preamp, Questforsound carries the Music Hall for like $175 and I'm sure they have others in the under-$200 range. Enjoy.

I've been thinking about the same thing for my brother in law to go with his Almarro 205a and Omega speakers. Does anyone here know how good the old Micro Seiki BL-51 or DD40 tables are? Aesthetics are very important for his WAF. I was thinking about pairing either with a lightly used Ortofon 2M black for about 1k. Then maybe budget another 500 for a used phono. How good would that sound versus a similar 1500 investment in a better DAC (used)?