As a teenager in the 80's, the 2 machines I dreamt of owning were the Technics RS-1500, or the Teac X-2000M. I had neither the funds nor good reason to own one at the time... but now I do, and had just had a Technics 1500 refurbished by J-corder. It's very cool and sounds amazing.
One thing to really consider is whether you want a 2-track or 4-track deck. The consumer machines are 4-track, and play the tape in both directions. Pro 2-track machines only play the tape in one direction, but use the entire tape width for better S/N ratio. Some decks, like the Technics, have 2 play heads to play either type of recording, but it only can record 2-track.
Both machines, I think, look pretty gnarly!
One thing to really consider is whether you want a 2-track or 4-track deck. The consumer machines are 4-track, and play the tape in both directions. Pro 2-track machines only play the tape in one direction, but use the entire tape width for better S/N ratio. Some decks, like the Technics, have 2 play heads to play either type of recording, but it only can record 2-track.
Both machines, I think, look pretty gnarly!