regal,
I was exactly where you are about a month ago, and for exactly the same reasons. I found useful information on this forum, on the Steve Hoffman forum (hardware section), and on the vinyl asylum board.
I was torn between going new or vintage. I liked the idea of new, but it's quite expensive if you want quality stuff.
After getting a general idea about what was out there, I decided to give the used/vintage approach a chance. There are a number of listings on Audiogon, which is generaly regarded as a safer site than E-bay for used audio equipment. However, sellers on Audiogon are generally familiar with the value of their gear.
If you are patient (or lucky), hitting the thrift shops and garage sales locally can be very productive. I don't have that kind of patience, so I didn't do that.
I started doing daily searches for "turntable" and "receiver" on e-bay. When I found something that looked interesting, I'd research the model using Google and and/or a search of the forums mentioned above to find out how the gear was regarded by knowlegeable folk.
I wound up with a Marantz 6100 TT and a Sansui 771 receiver, both from E-Bay. I really wanted a Thorens 160, but I wasn't patient enough to wait on one that looked great at a price I was willing to pay. I spoke with the TT seller quite a bit, and sent her information I found on the web re: how to safely ship a turntable. I got lucky, and both arrived in excellant condition. ( I also picked up a couple of other turntables for peanuts in the bidding frenzy; one I may fix and one of which is a piece of junk. I get E-Bay fever sometimes
).
Once you have your table, it's easy to get suggestions on good cartridges to match it. It is also very easy to pick up a decent receiver on E-Bay which will satisfy your phonostage/preamp needs if you want to go used/vintage. Here's a site that is useful in determining the value of many popular vintage receivers:
http://www.classicaudio.com/value/
I spent far less money going this route than I would have if I had bought new, although there is always a risk that the stuff could die on me at any time.
You will also need a good record cleaning system. I really don't have that yet; I have been getting by with a spray cleaner and lint free cloth, but it's really not adequate if you buy used vinyl. From my research, I think the cheapest effective manual cleaning system available is the "Disc Doctor" cleaner (brushes and liquid). A vacum system would definitely be the way to go, but I haven't been willing to spend the money on one yet.
Finally, let me just add that I've found the whole return to vinyl thing really fun. I'm still primarily a CD/computer as source guy, but my vinyl collection is also growing, and will continue to grow. There are zillions of used records available for next to nothing, and many are in excellant condition (after a bath). There are also quite a few "audiophile" grade classic rock albums that have been well mastered and re-released only on vinyl. I just bought brand new copies of Zep I and III (Classic label). These aren't cheap, but they sound really good. You really need analogue for Zepplin, IMO.
Have fun!
