Depends on the size of your purse, prem. Most hifi buyers do not have that much money to spend on a single item. With a lot of money in the bank, one might not enter at the "entry" level
Another turntable,developed my Merrill,called merrill Replica ESR-1 based on principals of AR turntable ,has been introduced in US since few months,though no review has been done yet,it is selling for USD1000 and is touted to be a budget player with great sound as merril was involved in development of upgrades and mods for AR turntables.