Best Value/Performance In An SACD Player For $2k, Or Less, Used?

It would appear I spoke too soon. The seller just refunded me my payment due to the unit having been stolen from his car. This is extremely disheartening. Trying to find one of these lightly used is beyond extremely difficult. And if they have been regularly used, given how old these units are, they simply aren't worth this kind of money. 

And honestly, I've found no other real alternative in my price range compared to the 5400. :(

That's a bummer for both you and the seller.  Take a look at the Marantz SACD spinners.  There are 3 or 4 listed here under your budget.  I have the KI-Pearl and like it a lot.

For a more modern unit, I can highly recommend the Yamaha CD-S2100, which will often pop up on the used market for less than $2K. The transport is very sturdy and stable, and the built-in DAC is very musical. It can even allow for other digital sources to be connected to its internal DAC.

Marantz makes good units as well, per big_greg’s suggestion. 

Marantz Ruby sacd player TMRaudio.com or Safe and Sound they might have it, On sacd player the newer the better.Dont buy sacd, CD player, transport more than ten years old, less than 2 yrs Maybe is ok.

In a perfect world, the Marantz Ruby SACD would be my choice, but they tend to sell, in less than ideal condition, for nearly my max price.