Did you ever decide on an heirloom metal lathe? I am in the San Francisco Bay area looking for my first one as well and have similar requirements of $2000, made in the USA. I’ve seen ones on craigslist but it’s hard to know how much wear and tear on the rails and what small things I should be...
FYI, this one is gone. I’m looking for one in California in the San Francisco Bay Area in the $2000 range as well for my first metal lathe and have 6 feet wide for the room.