Opinions on bang for the buck on TT & tonearm

@Mr L- The OP asked about, "Bang for Buck"
turntables and arms. That's what we addressed. I'm assuming
they are capable of doing their own research, and picking from
the VPIs available(drives/suspensions/arms), according to
their tastes. That a cartridge would have to be chosen, based
on the VPI arm's design and effective mass, SHOULD already be
understood. Matter of fact YOU already mentioned that. Why
do I need to be redundant? BTW: YES; If I were looking for a
$6K vinyl system, I would build one from VPI components.

Not against buying used gear or vintage gear. Looking for great sound with minimal tweaking.

Tables I have owned:
Basis Debut Gold vacuum
VPI TNT4/Scout/Classic and several other custom VPI's
Merrill Heirloom
Loth
Transcriptor
Kuzma Stabi
Rek o Kut yamaha denon

I mean to say at any price point Harry has a fine turntable to compete with any on the market at that price point. In addition, you get the VPI customer service which is impeccable, carried value for those who want to change for something else, and upgradability. The VPI arm can accommodate most any cartridge....sometimes the counterweight should be different than the one supplied, but a simple phone call/E-mail to VPI will make sure all is well. Sure there will be some differences in sound, but halls, and rooms all have different sounds.

Curley, You are nowhere near the novice I thought you to be, based on the list of excellent turntables you have already owned. You might ask yourself why you were or are not satisfied with especially the top two or three on your list, the Basis, the TNT, and the Merrill. Did you sell them off, and do you now regret it, or are you just looking for something new and different? If the latter, and if the tt's on your list left you less than satisfied, you might try a different drive system from belt-drive. For the kind of money you are willing to spend, I would suggest you consider the direct-drive turntables from Brinkmann. There are several vintage direct-drives to think about as well, but you'd want one that is "done" and ready to use. Another option is a tricked out Lenco L75. But tonearm goes with cartridge, more than anything else, at the risk of repeating myself too often.