Is a GREAT turntable under $2000 possible???

Question is what is good enough to serve your purpose? I bought a Pro-Ject  Debut Carbon Esprit SB (DC) that cost ~$500 US about three years ago. I have a tin ear and listen almost exclusively to hard rock, so opinion is not well qualified and I can't tell enough difference between the good stuff and the great stuff to justify the large price differential. But I really liked the turntable. Big, thick acrylic platter and Ortofon cartridge that killed anything I could afford as a college kid several decades ago...  Back to qualified opinions. 

Don't know @rjsmith1 as this is my first go at vinyl. I think it's a good place to start!

I recently got my hands on a Scheu demo with an Ortofon Super MM 40 and Rega arm for well under your $2000 price...truly a work of art!

I had never used a Scheu table before, but the performance seems to be that of tables costing quite a bit more....especially with the separate motor unit.

I think I could take this table through an upgrade path (new cartridge, new arm, ect) and not max out the capability of the actual plinth, plater and motor until I got well into the $$$$s of dollars in upgrades on other parts of the system. Which at this point is my plan!

the new Denon VL12 prime and the Pioneer PLX-1000 are legit and both under $1000....of course I have a Sound Smith modified Denon DL-103, a Jolida JD9 mkII phonostage and a Lounge Audio Copla MC head amp so that helps

Since you seem to like "old school" let me give you an option.  Find a Dual 701 direct drive turntable.  The table itself is as good as any every produced, and the arm is excellent.  It should cost you well under $500.  Then spend the other $1500 on the bes MC cartridge and headamp you can listen to.
 
If you want to save money, here's a used combo that sounds as good as anything I've heard in the last 30 years:  Aforemention Dual 701, Accuphase AC-2 MC cartridge, Marcof PPA-2 battery-driven headamp.  Find them (relatively rare, put them together, and you've got at least $4000 of sound.