True, The Sax, that's the way I would go, but maybe locally so I could see just what I was getting into. Try the big music stores and repair shops- sometimes you can find one that hasn't been through the shop yet. Always get the best piece you can. And while we're at it , nobody's mentioned King Cleveland. Can be found at reasonable prices, and while not a Super 20, they give you good boogie for the buck.

Typically yes, I recommend buying vintage, but you have to be really careful what you buy on ebay. Sure, there are some nice horns, but many of those old horns need a lot of work, and saxophone repairs can be expensive! As for finding a Buescher 400 for less than $600; the chances of finding one for less than $600 that doesn't need an overhaul are pretty slim! Perhaps you might find one of the post-Selmer models in decent shape for $600-$800, but a good vintage Top Hat & Cane will cost a few bucks, as will a Conn 6M/10M, King Super 20 or Zephyr. A good vintage Conn to consider would be an early (pre 1970 or "N" prefix) Director's model 14M alto/16M tenor. The King 613's and Clevelands would be a good choice, or a Buescher Aristocrat. If you prefer a new sax, I wouldn't consider anything less than the Winston though. The Antiqua Winds Saxophones are pretty good for the money also. They are Taiwanese made. Rather than invest $600 now in a horn that you will probably want to upgrade in a few years, I would suggest looking into something like the Yamaha 475, which is an intermediate level horn and would most likely serve your purposes for many years or even your lifetime. I believe the 475's run around $1600 alto, $1850 tenor.

Vintage saxes have the advantage of knowing that they used to work. You can get a really nice C mel for $600 Half way between Alto and tenor. A cheap sax will be fine for a while as long as you check it works, before you leave the store!!! You can't buy cheap without checking!