Would a Technics SL-1200 MK2 be an upgrade from a Denon DP-31L?

So that seem like a pretty unanimous consensus...as for the price- it's aesthetics are definitely a 4/10 at best (here it is: http://eastnc.craigslist.org/ele/5580637517.html ) but he says it works great.

what would be the lowest reasonable price I should expect to pay for one in this shape? Maybe $400 is it, but if I can haggle the price down I will certainly try...if I do get it, I need to know it was a steal, and not an average selling price (only way to justify it to the wife) :)

It's missing the dust cover too I just found out 

Anyone?

Should i I start a new thread to get more input on how much it's worth? I have to let the guy know ASAP 

i appreciate the guidance, I'm new to vinyl so the buyers market for used equipment is foreign to me :/

Thanks all for the suggestions, very helpful info. Tim is correct though, I am beyond a being on a tight budget, and i likely can only get a turntable if the seller is willing to work out a trade for it, because as far as spending actual cash goes I could probably afford something equivalent to what you might find in a dumpster covered in old food and possibly used band aids (in my 3rd year of medical school living on student loans = almost no free time 24/7 365days, but more importantly no money for things like audio equipment)

Any thoughts on the DIY platter weight I'm using? Any risk of damaging the TT?

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, it looks like I'm sticking with my Denon for now, the guys wife didn't want him trading for the Klipsch rear speakers I was offering because he has to many already.

with that said, a little off topic, but I just made a weight stabilizer (I'm very good at procrastinating). Since I don't have a scale I'd estimate it weighs about as much as a half a bottle of water (standard 16.9oz). Is that an acceptable amount of mass to add to the platter, or is that too much strain on the motor? It plays fine with the weight on, just don't want to burn out the TT a few weeks down the road. (Specs: It is about 4" tall, with a diameter of maybe 2". It covers the inside half of an LP label, and the spindle has about 2mm of free space around it)

Thanks Tim for the feedback, good to hear too regarding the weight. I'll check out the butyl tape as well. Are you saying to put it directly on the metal platter and then the rubber mat on top of the butyl tape?

Weighed the plater weight, it's 361 grams. Is that too much?