So many great golden era DD tables out there, what do you recommend for $1000?

best-groove, Don't you think the "engine and electronics" ARE the DNA of any turntable, including the DP80?  IMO, the major deficiency of the original product was exactly its plinth (and tonearm, but that's a different argument).  By re-doing the substructure from A to Z, Peter has transformed the guts of the DP80 into a true high end product. Which sadly is out of reach of the OP's budget.  If you're just objecting to the cost of the re-done DP80, that's too bad.  I'd love to have one of the PBN versions, if I were not already more than supplied with turntables.
But as to the notion that one could not find an original DP80 for $1000 or less, I am a little dubious.  A few years ago, when I thought about selling my completely "done" sample, I got little interest at around $1200, indicating that the market could not bear that price.  With patience and a little luck, I think it could be done.  If the OP wants a tonearm too for his price limit, then all bets are off.

The original DP-80 plinth is pretty decent, it does not looks like a cheap plinth from that era, the finishing is nice, the color is nice. Much better than any Victor stock plinth for example (imo). Adding AT-616 pneumatic footers is a must for such high quality machine. No questions that DP-80 is a nice DD turntable, but i just want to say that stock plinth is also very nice (if the condition is NOS like mine). Here is an image from the manual with DA-401 tonearm, i was shocked how good this arm can reproduce music on my Luxman with Grado XTZ. Quickly became my favorite tonearm for high-ish compliance MI/MM carts. The only problem is a price tag: with some nice tonearm on original plinth it can be $2-3k easily for complete Denon turntable in perfect condition. 

best-groove, Don't you think the "engine and electronics" ARE the DNA of any turntable, including the DP80?

Surely, but in this way it completely distorts what the Denon wanted to convey to the supporters of the brand.
I do not doubt that the new project is better than the Denon project of 40 years ago, but the price to pay would be high and a likely resale so heavily modified could be long and difficult in finding a new owner or switching to a second hand.

Dear @yogiboy : I think that in some ways all audio items are ( in good shape ) audio toys and from this point of view the 60L is an audio toy and very good Denon TT.

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/denon/dp-60l.shtml

and this toy weigth is 13kg. Till today I do not knew a bad Denon " toy ".

Check in that link the " alto scan " brochure and you will know what that " toy " can offer to any one. Maybe is time that you could recovery it from that basement. Was years ago when you gave it to your syster but through the time I can think you made some up-grades to your system that could make a difference in your way of thinking.


@lewm : specs? well you have to make your home work. Anyway specs can’t tel us the whole history but when you are comparing against other Denon items has a meaning that the item it’s not a low-fi one.

@uberwaltz found out a second unit on ebay at even lower price, you can buy it and can make some $$$$ in the re-sales.. As I said before, Denon never disappointed me.

R.

best-groove, So mainly you object to the cost of the PBN version of the DP80 and to the probability that when you go to sell it, you won't make a profit or get your original investment back, which is also true of almost any new audio product.  That's OK, but it's not the point.