Rega P3-24 or VPI Scoutmaster

I think the VPI is a better deck. It should be for double the price though. Worth it or not is a personal thing - ears and wallet. I don't think it's worth it because I can't afford the Scoutmaster. If I could comfortably afford one, I'd buy one. Then again, I'd compare it to the comparably priced Rega - P7?

If you're new to turntables, you may want to get the less expensive one and with the savings get a few things...
LPs
Cleaning stuff - a vacuum cleaner and hand held steamer are two of the best things you can own if you're into vinyl. The vacuum machine doesn't have to be expensive (relatively speaking); the KAB USA EV-1 is a Nitty Gritty minus an internal vacuum. Just connect your home vac and save some cash. Costs about $170.

If your vinyl collection and love for analog grows out of control, there's always another deck and cartridge to upgrade to. Someone here had some very wise advice to another vinyl noob - "Expect to pay more than you expect to pay." The accessories like cleaning fluids, brushes, isolation stuff, etc definitely add up. Take your time and make sure you're really enjoying vinyl before you commit too far financially IMO.

Both are excellent turntables. Very hard to go wrong with either one, but it's really not a fair comparison for either table.

I own a fully loaded VPI Scoutmaster with SDS and my VPI / Rega dealer told me that to do better, I would have to go at least Rega P9 or SME 10 (i.e. $10K+).

Why a Scoutmaster for a first time table? A regular used Scout will do the trick especially if the seller includes a decent cartridge. My Scout came preloaded with a Dynevector 20X, more table than I can make good use of. The other thing that you want to keep in mind is the cost of a good Phono stage.

VPI and Rega make very good tables at reasonable prices. As pointed out above the Scoutmaster is better as it should be considering the price differential; at comparable price level it would be a matter of taste. I am a VPI dealer but right now am using a Rega arm and used their dac until the Metrum came out. You really wont go wrong with either.