Best advice besides checking ebay is to check local listings-especially craigslist. You can usually find a relatively high-end player on the cheap that someone has found in their closet. I got a mint Pioneer cld-d702 for $25 this way and it works great (just wish it had come with the remote...) Had considered one on ebay but the shipping can be murder.

Not sure which model to recommend. Depends on what features you are looking for. Nowadays it can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Check laserdiscarchive.co.uk for a listing of models and details.