Well I purchased the ICOM 746 about 6 years ago when money was less tight.
My first one was a TS520S. A great transceiver, got it used for $300. I regret selling it some years ago. You can still get them in excellent condition for the same money.
There are some good recievers out there used and I was looking at a JRC 525
But I really like the idea of configurable DSP processing