A record player, eh. Any idea what he wants it for? Does he intend to start collecting vinyl? Old or new vinyl? To play through what kind of system? Or are you looking for some kind of all-in-one setup, turntable/receiver/?
I could talk all day about turntables. I have at least 6 or 8, some old some new, and many hundreds of records. For anyone who is serious about vinyl, I wouldn't recommend an "old one" unless you want to spend a good bit (and know what you are doing). Most people would say just get one of the new ones from someone like Music Hall or U-Turn Audio (I have both). Get a belt drive unless you want to spend a grand or more for a *good* direct drive. A U-Turn Orbit for $200 is a good turntable. These will not be "automatic", meaning, you don't just put a record on and press "Go". You turn it on, lift the tone arm lever, move the tone arm over the record, lower the lever. And when the record is done, you do the reverse of that. It's part of the "hands on" experience of vinyl, and the finest and most expensive turntables on the planet (tens of thousands and up) are like that. It's a simple device. A lot of it is in the cartridge, and the wiring, and the vibration isolation. But for most people, a simple starter unit is good.
If you really want an old one, look for a rebuilt Dual, but it's a game that's hard to play unless you know the models. A 1229 is good (I love mine), you can get a rebuilt one from the guy at fixmydual.com for a decent price. These are "automatic". But old turntables are cantankerous, prone to all kinds of problems, and it's hard to find people who know how to work on them.
Stay away from Crosleys and other cheapass junk. That is, unless your goal is to ruin every album you can get your hands on.
More info on what you're looking for (and perhaps budget) would help.
Mark