Best TT/Arm/cartridge combo for 3k Used

Thanks for all your responses.

I'm with Nrchy and Onhwy61 above. There is a used SOTA Star for $500 on the 'gon right now. SOTA is still in business and can update/check out the table for a very good price. Put a reasonable arm on it (Rega is a good choice, I have an ET2 on mine), a good cartridge (Clearaudio Aurum/Grado TLZ/Dynavector D17MR have all worked wonders for me in the past) and make sure you have a good phono stage - you'll be in heaven! I think the Nottingham would be a good choice too - they come up used in the $1500-2K range periodically. Have patience young Jedi, everything comes up for sale on the 'gon sooner or later.

Get A used Linn LP12/ Ekos/Lingo/Arkiv/Linto or an LP12/Ittok/etc or the equivanent and don't worry about vinyl anymore.

You will also need to budget around $1,000 for a high quality phono stage. Don't underestimate the importantance of this component.

A new Nottingham Spacedeck/SpaceArm combo is $2495.
Put a Grado Sonata or Dynavector 10X4 or 20XL in it
and you got a great music making machine.

You could buy a Sota Star, a Rega RB 900 arm and a Benz Glider for less than 3k and have a fantastic analog system with money to spare for records. You'll get lots of recommendations but I think this combo will outdo almost any VPI/SME combo in your price range.
Who's going to set all these goodies up for you though? It doesn't matter how good the individual pieces are if they aren't set up right it won't sound good. It's not terribly hard it just takes time, and the right tools.
Every system is different and everybody has different tastes or priorities. People like me will tell you what they like but who knows what you would prefer. It reminds me of J Gordon Holt's "Why HiFi experts disagree."
A good TT/Arm/cartridge in the price range you're looking should sound great, it's a question of "which version of great do you want to live with?"