Complete 2.0 System for Under $3k?

i agree the idea of a kick ass system for $3 grand is EASY.
I have a friend with a decent used system assmbled for about a hundred bucks.
Yea it took some time to find good stuff dirt cheap, but we did for a friends system.
So with three thousand, used is King. and plenty of stuff to choose from.
The MAIN thing is to buy what you find, instead of a list you have to buy.
You could get some great stuff if you can grab what is available in the moment. And yes it may not be the perfect match, but i would bet getting better stuff would make up for a less than stellar match IMO, anyway.
(unless one is an 'dolt', then buy stuff from a list by all means.)
((This means just general, endless bad luck created by ones own efforts, not low IQ, OK.))

For starters, you could do worse than an all-Rega setup:

RP1 $460
Brio-R $895
RS3 $1295

Just heard one, and I could live with it!

Hi, Elizbeth:
"The MAIN thing is to buy what you find, instead of a list you have to buy"
Okay, but the gent may not have a friend like you hanging around, so... given your well-known expertise, how about some more specific guidance for him? - e.g., what would you be looking for in a good set of phono stuff, what relative portion of your budget would you expect to spend, say, on tonearm vs table vs cartridge in this discounted price range; would you even consider buying a used cartridge as a novice, and even, god forbid, not in list form, what are some examples of good deals you might have seen around in the past?

Sorry for the typo above. The Rega RP1 is $640 with the "performance pack." Not sure how big a difference it makes, but that's how I heard it.

Not enough information to give any meaningful advice. Your room, your music preferances etc.?
At first glance, I would say that $3k is either too much or too little for the first purely analog set-up.
In any case, I would probably start with speakers.