Opinions on bang for the buck on TT & tonearm

Another thing to think about is whether you want a suspension or not.

If you don't have a rock solid turntable stand, you might want to consider a turntable with a good suspension, such as a Basis.

I've owned three Basis tables and each has been a good bang for the buck table. My latest table, bought used for $6500, is a Basis 2500, with a Vector tonearm and a Dynavector XV-1S cartridge, with about 10 hours on it. I have rarely heard a table sound much better than this.

@Mr L- The OP asked about, "Bang for Buck"
turntables and arms. That's what we addressed. I'm assuming
they are capable of doing their own research, and picking from
the VPIs available(drives/suspensions/arms), according to
their tastes. That a cartridge would have to be chosen, based
on the VPI arm's design and effective mass, SHOULD already be
understood. Matter of fact YOU already mentioned that. Why
do I need to be redundant? BTW: YES; If I were looking for a
$6K vinyl system, I would build one from VPI components.

Not against buying used gear or vintage gear. Looking for great sound with minimal tweaking.

Tables I have owned:
Basis Debut Gold vacuum
VPI TNT4/Scout/Classic and several other custom VPI's
Merrill Heirloom
Loth
Transcriptor
Kuzma Stabi
Rek o Kut yamaha denon

I mean to say at any price point Harry has a fine turntable to compete with any on the market at that price point. In addition, you get the VPI customer service which is impeccable, carried value for those who want to change for something else, and upgradability. The VPI arm can accommodate most any cartridge....sometimes the counterweight should be different than the one supplied, but a simple phone call/E-mail to VPI will make sure all is well. Sure there will be some differences in sound, but halls, and rooms all have different sounds.