Reason for buying old/classic turntables

The common comparison being made in this thread by people who are fans of "vintage" TTs is that AFTER new plinths, modern isolation platforms, ensuring the bearing is OK (and sometimes putting a new bearing in), adding a modern state of the art arm, wiring, TT mat, cartridge, and phonostage, the "vintage" TT now compares pretty well with what is out there. I don't see anyone saying that the Lenco in stock form smokes anything modern. There are a few TTs from 20-30yrs ago which can hold their own in stock form but they came in the "hi-fi age", some 25yrs after the Garrard 301. I expect, however, that manufacturers of console-bound tables of the 50s and 60s and DD workhorses from the 70s and 80s were not, at the time, intended to be competitive with the top-tier tables 25-50 years later. I believe it is a combination of a lack of development of motors, plus a certain set of fortunate circumstances (used tables are somewhat cheap, people can use their good arms and carts from previous tables, and for the lucky few who can wield tools with some skill, making a plinth worthy of a top-tier table doesn't cost much in terms of materials (and for the same, the pleasure of making it pays for the time). And the result is an excellent table at a lower out-of-pocket cost (usually) than new rivals, which does what we want it to do, which is spin at 33 1/3rpm all day every day and do absolutely nothing else perceptible to the stylus/record interface.

I have had 3 tt's thru here in the past year. My somewhat stock Lenco just happened to be the best sounding, most musical and involving of the bunch. Everyone that heard the 3 says the same.

Is it the best? No. Does it do what I want it to do, and sound damn good at doing it? Yes.

And coincidence of coincidences, I just missed on a Sony PS-X9 which was up for auction... wonder when I am going to see one of those again...

Look, the basic technology of draging a needle through a groove is essentially the same as it was when Edison did it with tin foil. Sure all the stuff is more sophisticated, more refined, better sounding, etc., but those improvements are based mainly on the associated parts: carts, wiring and amplification. A turntable is still just a wheel on a bearing. There is no reason a TT from forty years ago shouldn't sound as good as a table built today. With the possible exception of some of the repeling magnets even the bearings are esentially the same. Its not magic new technology.

T bone : I play and compare right now in front of me my TD 124 MK2 on original plinth with original SME 3009/ShureM95ED nothing modified since 1966 when my father bought it AND my VPI TNT highly upgraded/modified to extreme limit with Graham Phantom/ Allaerts Finish/Tron/Purist on seismic platform.
Honestly the Thorens rig is very very close in definition and is even more dynamicaly involving than my recent high end turntable wich is sounding very good. And I did not modified anything yet. The TD 124 IS a great piece of engineering AND for sure is in the same ballpark as the actual turntables, even NOT modified.