The Ideal Reproducing Piano?  This is an interesting question.
I believe that there are drawbacks to both of the major roll setups,
although no one has complained to me that the roll drawer on my
Ampico looks funny.  My problem with the roll drawer is that when
I want to play the piano the roll drawer hits my knees, making it
uncomfortable to sit in the usual position.

The Duo-Art mechanism won't hit your knees, but it adds an additional
six inches to the length of the piano so that if you have a 6' grand,
you have a piano of the same quality as a straight 5' 6" piano.  The
real problem here is that additional six inches is also reflected in
the length of the piano keys and it also has an effect on manual
playing the piano.

I have seen a Steinway that solved this problem by having an automatic
changer box ['Concertola'] that was installed in a separate room (and
I have heard that this was also available on Ampico) but these are
extremely rare and probably not in the $10-15k price range.

There is enough music available for both the Duo-Art and Ampico that
getting a roll collection for either system is not a problem, so my
suggestion is to find a piano of either system that you like.  If you
can only afford an unrestored piano that you like, I would recommend
buying it as it is now and planning the investment of a complete
restoration when you can afford it.

Remember that these pianos are not a short term investment, but will
give a lifetime of enjoyment.  After almost 80 years my Knabe Ampico
needs some work (starting restoration next month!) but it has given me
15 years so far of enjoyment and I have never regretted the investment
in getting the piano I wanted (well, except for moving time!)

Most importantly, what's important in a piano is not the name of the
maker, but the sound of the piano.  Most of the manufacturers of pianos
into which reproducing mechanisms were placed are excellent pianos, but
if a piano was mistreated for 80 years, it may be worthwhile to pass it
up for a piano that received a lot of love for that period.

A short while ago there was a thread that I didn't enter into about the
price gouging of sellers today.  In my opinion it's a shame that you
can't get a rare instrument for a song today as once you could, but
I don't blame any seller for wanting to receive the value of his
instrument.  If you are attracted to an instrument with a high price
tag, it should keep the value and the next owner will also have the
same attraction.

Eliyahu Shahar