I am really partial to Oracle Alexandrias and they can be found, used of course, for amazing bargains. One has to be careful about tonearm matching with suspended decks. I am using a rewired Sumiko Premier MMT which sounds pretty damn good to me. You can bring any used deck in good condition to a GOOD brick and mortar shop and get it perfectly set op for about $125 usually.
That being said, I've never listened to a great direct drive deck and am searching for the opportunity. My only experience is with belt driven ( Oracle, Yamaha, Linn) and idler arm (Dual) models, so consider my recommendations within that sphere of limitation.