FWIW, I have had a DP75M have a cap problem, causing it to spin fast, and my Exclusive P3 I bought with a problem in what the tech calls the "torque attenuation circuit" (a control circuit, where something went out of whack and caused the table to spin up immediately to 300rpm or something similar, and then start going higher). I knew that could be fixed so got mine cheap-ish.
I know of many top DD TTs which have had this problem, and I can get my hands on any number of used DD tables (including lots of Denons) with the attributes of 'not working.' They're relatively cheap...
As for the auto analogy... If I bought a car from 1982 which was NOS (let's imagine it had spent 27 years in a dealer's back room, getting the engine turned over once a week), before I tried to drive it anywhere, I'd want to make sure the parts with naturally deteriorating materials (i.e. rubber parts such as hoses, belts, bushings, etc) were OK, and I would absolutely count on having to replace the tires and align the wheels.
I know of many top DD TTs which have had this problem, and I can get my hands on any number of used DD tables (including lots of Denons) with the attributes of 'not working.' They're relatively cheap...
As for the auto analogy... If I bought a car from 1982 which was NOS (let's imagine it had spent 27 years in a dealer's back room, getting the engine turned over once a week), before I tried to drive it anywhere, I'd want to make sure the parts with naturally deteriorating materials (i.e. rubber parts such as hoses, belts, bushings, etc) were OK, and I would absolutely count on having to replace the tires and align the wheels.