turntable madness

You should throw a used Rega Planar 2 on your short list, somewhere around $250 or so.

I can't tell you a particular model, but I can tell you that nearly all the Thorens turntables I've come across have been very good for the money. They are well built, reliable, and sound very good. My father has one to this day, which he has had for about 25 years, and it performs very well.

Also, see the thread on the Thorens turntable--someone just got one on e-bay.

What do you mean by inexpensive? IMHO, if you want the cheapest good turntable, get a Connoisseur(Sugden) BD2A. It will cost between $50-$150 plus cartridge. Next up the ladder is a Rega Planar 2. About $200-$300 plus cartridge. Another good table for about $300 is the Systemdek IIX. Above that is the Rega Planar 3. About $350-$650. All prices are for used, very good condition. A good cartridge for any of the above would be a lower priced Goldring. Under $100 new. You also may consider other tables such as Music Hall, Pro-Ject by Sumiko, etc. These are all manually operated turntables with belt drive. They will give you the best sound for low cost. If you have to spend less than $50, then probably a Dual belt drive would be the best bet. I personally would not go there. I believe that belt drive is the better drive system in most turntables with the exception of a few super-high priced models which will not concern you.

What kind of price are you targeting? There are pretty good choices for most price points. I agree that the Thorens are good at the prices mentioned. If you insist on spending less, the old Duals were well made turntables. I had a Dual 1019 in college and regreted trading it in for a Benjamin Miracord 50H. Fifteen years ago, I was given another Dual 1019, and it remains in service today in one of my systems. (The BM 50H is in a closet.) Among the numerous weaknesses of the 1019 versus modern units are (1) a 10 inch platter provides less support than today's 12 inchers, (2) idler puck drive transmission instead of better isolation from motor vibrations with today's belt drives, (3) inductance motor is somewhat voltage dependant versus line frequency-driven hysteresis designs popular today, and (4) the built-in tonearm is attached under the deck to hardware used for the changing mechanism. For a used unit, key lookouts are the degree of wear of the rubber idler puck and the amount of friction felt from the arm bearings. If these are OK, the 1019 could be a serviceable table that should cost less than $100 (maybe a lot less). You'll have to put up with the sonic imperfections of an old design, as I have described, but I'd say it would be a good deal at a minimal price.