I would certainly recommend a used SOTA table as I own a SOTA Nova Series V (upgraded from a Star Series III that I bought used). As Sit said, the upgrade path with SOTA is well worth it. Based on what I paid to upgrade my Star to a Nova, I could not have bought anything remotely close in quality as a replacement to the SOTA.
However, I would be very careful in buying a used SOTA that requires the table to be shipped. Make sure the owner has all the original packaging and knows how to secure the table and prepare it for shipment. One option is to call SOTA and speak with Kirk about used or reconditioned tables they have available.