Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

Welcome to the Thread fast_mick.
You're right about the perceived 'value' of certain brands in the Japanese or Asian marketplace and yes......JVC/Victor is not so highly prized there whereas the Yamaha 750GT/1000GT are so numerous I'd swear they were still producing them.
And the prices they pay for a 2000GT or 2000L seem ridiculous....especially as I've not read any particularly glowing reports of these decks from international audiophiles?
Can someone who has a Yamaha 2000GT please contribute?
I'm interested....

After two weeks or so with my functioning TT101, I would say that the TT101 is right up there with the best of them, and I do own two of the best of them (SP10 Mk3 and Kenwood L07D) for comparison.  Arguably, the Denon DP80 would be a third, but I don't use it.  By scuttlebutt only, I think of the GT2000 as second tier, but that's a completely unfair assessment based on gossip.  I wouldn't put much stock in TVK, either. The write-ups in TVK are probably not done by someone who listens to the turntables.  (GT2000 is the turntable; 2000GT is the collectible car made by Toyota, I think. But it could be the other way around.) Does the GT2000 have a coreless motor?  What sort of servo does it use? How is the platter made and what does it weigh?  (It does appear to have an over-size platter with mass disposed to the edge, a nice design.) These are things I would consider in deciding between the TT101 and the GT2000, absent the chance to compare them in a single audio system.  (Coreless motor is to be preferred, in my opinion.)  The one I've got to try is the Pioneer Exclusive P3, but every time I have the chance to buy one, I cannot justify the purchase what with the excess of turntables already in my stable.  Then there's the Luxman, which Dave G owns.

lewn
Regarding the GT 2000 I  have never had the chance to hear one although a year or so back there was one for sale that I did consider
purchasing.
On another forum the GT 2000 is held in high regard
but with no direct comparisons to the tables that have been discussed
here Lo7D, TT101, SP10MK3 .
The only other thing to mention is the Blog originally posted by J Carr from the Victor engineer who was originally tasked to work on the GT2000, and then many years later in retirement made a point of
searching out one to purchase.
I do believe the GT2000 uses a coreless motor and Bi Directional
speed control.
The blog link was originally posted here by J Carr some time ago.

The Sony TTS-8000 and PS-X9 have a great reputation. 

My TTS-8000 is sounding incredible and it's not quite finished yet!