There are lots of great tables thatyou can buy in that price range. I don't want to be a nay-sayer, but I have NEVER heard a VPI table that I liked and I have heard everything from the bottom to the-of-the-line.
I have recently been convinced that older direct drive TT are capable of better sound than I ever considered possible. There are probably thousands of threads here regarding similar questions to what you ask, but the best advice I might offer is to find someone you trust, or who has similar tastes and get advice from just a couple of people rather than throwing it open for everyone to recommend their flavor-of-the-month/week/day...
I have recently been convinced that older direct drive TT are capable of better sound than I ever considered possible. There are probably thousands of threads here regarding similar questions to what you ask, but the best advice I might offer is to find someone you trust, or who has similar tastes and get advice from just a couple of people rather than throwing it open for everyone to recommend their flavor-of-the-month/week/day...