Hit the local thrift shops a few weeks ago, and found some goodies! For $3.00, I bought this Toshiba RT-8031 dual-cassette unit with BOTH DECKS WORKING! A while back, I also bought this Panasonic RX-F2 with the cassette deck working, though it was unfortunately missing the fast forward button. At a consignment store in a different city, I also picked up a Panasonic RX-DS17, but the cassette player wasn't functional. (Stretched belts most likely.) CD player works, but the sound quality leaves something to be desired. That's all for now, I'll head to the local shops again next week.
Nice finds, make sure you clean the heads and rubber good before playing tapes. I use IPA, isopropl alcohol, the closer to 99% the better, the other portion is water. Get some Q-Tips, or better, foam versions and clean everything. Even a little dirt or tape shred can make them sound really bad.