I've heard far too many complaints about Grizzly tools- especially their machine tools - to take a chance on them. Their QC is absolute crap and customer service after the sale from experienced machinists I know is rated very low. The PM is just a few steps above the Grizzly in the reviews I have read about them. I have a couple Grizzly tools I bought at garage sales and other places and while they have lots of cast iron in them, the assembly, fit, and finish is questionable and adjustments are horrible- especially on the 6 x 48 Sander 9" disc combo I have...
Check on shipping quotes to your area on LTL carriers and see if it would be worthwhile to have a used machine shipped if you can find the right deal. Much better chance of finding one with tooling . For the right deal it would be worth driving quite a distance to pick up with a trailer and bring home. A really nice South Bend Heavy 10 or a Craftsman Model 12 IIRC, which is basically the same machine. Same as the smaller Atlas and Craftsman machines are basically the same machines. Parts are still available for almost all of these more common machines also, new and used.
Once you have a good lathe, you'll be looking for all kinds of projects to do with it. I've made a bunch of parts on mine for my hot rod- bushings, etc... and whatever I can find to get some practice...
