I've used a two-VCR setup for many years. One VCR gets used for timed recordings and the other for making archive copies. I use VCR's pretty hard and replace them every 5 years or so. (I thought about learning how to repair them but they just aren't designed for repair, and parts are next to impossible to get if you're not in the trade.)
The last new VCR I bought was in 2002 - you could see that the trend was toward a limited selection of flimsy low-end junk. I got a Sony that has held up well so far (the remote died during the warranty period), but as compared to older units the tape control is a lot less precise. By that, I mean if you're ff-ing and hit Stop the old machines would stop "right there", but the Sony overshoots by several minutes.
I was back in the market this week, and was shocked to see that stores like Sam's Club and Walmart didn't have ANY VCR's at all (Walmart had a few VCR/DVD combo units), and Fry's Electronics only had 3 - their one-time wall of VCR's is now almost all DVD's. One VCR was a JVC that didn't even have rear RCA inputs. The other two were Panasonic's (same machine inside, different cases and remotes). And that was all. I bought the PV-V4524S for $59, the cheaper of the two.
The tape control on this machine is much worse than the 2-year-old Sony, which is much worse than the 1997-vintage machines that they replaced. I do a LOT of taping, time-shifting and dubbing and the performance is completely unacceptable. However, it was either this machine or none at all. I guess I don't expect a lot for $59 but I'd gladly spend more for a good machine.
Those of you out there with big VHS collections - what are you doing? My collection of stuff is relatively small, but even so I can't imagine copying it all to DVD. I am worried that "next time" I need to replace a VCR I'll find that they don't exist anymore.