Sota or Technics

Don’t listen to anyone pushing either solution. Everyone hears differently. How you hear, and you alone, must determine which sounds better. To you. For the record, I prefer belt drive, but YMMD.

Audition, audition, audition!

Any Sota Turntable comes with a lifetime trade-in program. As it has been said here -the real magic happens with a full suspension. The Comet V is excellent. Then you can trade up to a suspended chassis model later. 

I'd get neither, and instead buy a music hall mmf-7.3 in walnut with the 2m bronze. Alternatively, replace the bronze with a Goldring Eroica LX moving coil. 

They are both good tables there are tradeoffs to both the better tonearm on the sota will be a major sound upgrade over the technics arm as well as the wood base of the sota will impart a more warm natural sound sound on acoustic music but if you listen to driving music the technics will probably please more.

I have been considering the same purchase. Done a lot of soul searching; evaluating, and discussion with people familiar with turntable design and performance. Personally, of the two choices, I like the
SL-1200GR for a variety of reasons. Overall the weakest link in that chain may be the tone arm. 
Considering the other elements in your system, I think that any weaknesses associated with the TECHNICS arm, are so miniscule, that side by side, considering the use of the same cartridge in both, The TECHNICS still comes out ahead. Also if your pair it with a GRADO "SONATA 3" cartridge. Very easy to set up with the SL-1200GR table. I believe that you will not be disappointed in the outcome.  

One thing in addition: If you really want to get the most out of any TT and cartridge setup, I strongly suggest you look into a serious record cleaning/restoration system. The KIRMUSS system is a little pricey and almost nightmarish to use, however, if you have the patience, the outcome will astound you. A "dirt cheap" second choice, which I have tried and was quite surprised at the quality of the outcome, was a combination of a RECORD DOCTOR VI, and a bottle of TTVJ ENZYME GOLD record cleaning solution . With a little thought and practice, the resulting outcome will be surprisingly close to that achieved with the KIRMUSS, at a fraction of the price. Still a little laborious, however.
Take any record that does not display signs of excess groove wear, and use on of the deep cleaning methods I have mentioned, and the resulting playback quality, will sound amazingly similar to mag tape.