Cicero: Your first post! Welcome! That is a great price for an RP-855, but it would be quite a stretch to compare it to a LP12. The stock Rotel tonearm sure looks like a Rega knock-off. Here's some info off a Google Groups search ad posted in 2001:
"Reliable and good-sounding belt-drive turntable, arm, and cartridge
package. Everything works. Damped cueing, speed adjustment, 33 and 45
speeds, hinged dust cover. Well cared for (I am the original owner).
New stylus last year. Original box and manual. A Hi-Fi Choice "Best
Buy"; The Inner Ear Report found this unit "good enough to use in an
up-scale audio system . . . a good investment and a valid alternative
for those folks who do not wish to invest the proverbial fortune to
listen to music." Buyer pays shipping. Price: $250.00
Enjoy.