Not much talk about Yamaha turntables.

@unison77 since the OP asked this question just for fun, the recommendations to buy vintage turntables (Yamaha or anything else) is irrelevant in this thread. 

Russian audiophile scene is very strong and a lot of local vendors can restore almost everything. A lot of very rare items are here available for sale (including extremely rare stuff). When you buy anything from overseas (no matter what country) packaging is important not only for vintage gear, but for any audio gear. The art of packaging is the key. Some amateur dealers have no clue how to do that, but professionals can do that very well. 

The best TT for under $1K is the Pioneer PLX1000. When I wanted to add a new TT to my collection of vintage TTs, that is what I chose! Direct-drive in a very substantial plinth and an excellent tonearm/headshell. There is even a high-quality interconnect included! Add a Grado Prestige Black cartridge ($79) and you'll have a truly excellent vinyl-playback system! PLX1000 - $700 (and free shipping from many online retailers). Check out the review by Herb Reichert in Stereophile from a few years ago!

BTW I have a nice vintage Yamaha belt-drive TT in a wood plinth in my collection. 

FWIW, the story behind the name "GT2000" is that Toyota had then recently introduced their top of the line sportscar (which is now a VERY valuable collector item), which they called the "2000GT", because it had a 2-liter motor and was a GT car (2 seats meant for rapid touring).  Yamaha just turned it around to get GT2000, so to associate with the Toyota sports car.

wow, nice @lewm