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[NoPistons!]

Thinking about getting one and converting it to cnc.....

http://www.dakeng.com/CNCconvert.html

hmt style.

How much should i spend for a standard bench lathe.  I dont think i'll be doing a whole lot of metal work but will probably get into that eventually.  I'm going to start making bushings and whatnot.

[chronic]

Price varies on size and options substantially. I have a mini lathe that I got for 650. The lathe has a 7" swing, 1/2hp, its very small. But good for like you said, little bushings and shit. 
The next size up is double the price, but for good reason. 10" swing, 3/4 hp motor, geared spindle vs variable speed controller.

You're going to have to look at what guys generally convert. Which machines have the most potential with a good sturdy frame, a good bed design, work capabilities. The one he has on that site, I dont know that I would try and convert that to an nc. Its a very cheap lathe(I have one similar to that), but I guess if you have the time and you're willing the work out the little quarks before you start the conversion. Then fuck yeah.

Sorry I haven't really told you anything. But that is where i would start, kind of go by what you want out of the machine, then look for one that will accompany it the easiest.

[Joseph Davis]

Price varies on size and options substantially. I have a mini lathe that I got for 650. The lathe has a 7" swing, 1/2hp, its very small. But good for like you said, little bushings and shit. 
The next size up is double the price, but for good reason. 10" swing, 3/4 hp motor, geared spindle vs variable speed controller.

The 7" china lathes are good if you want to spend some time (is also a great learning experience) using the lather to fix it's own design problems.  They are portable as hell and once gone through do a very good job on anything that fits in the chuck or across the bed.

The "double the price" asian lathes are kinda fucking crappy, a lot have the belt drive running the spindle directly (instead of via an intermediate shaft that gear drives it, a la the 7" asians and ALL of the quality non-asian lathes) which puts a lot of sideload on the bearings.  Worn bearings and snapped drive belts are common with them.  For anything bigger than the 7" china, go with a REAL lathe.  Expect to spend $1000+, but the nice thing about going that route is you usually get a pile of tooling thrown into the deal, which is where the $$$$ in machining is really at.

[blackoutmp5]

I don't know your price range, but you can find used cnc lathes for dirt cheap sometimes. We got one at the shop for 2800..its a 1983 mazak that had a few minor fixes, and it runs almost as good as new. But once again I don't know your price range, but I would keep a look out on craigslist and ebay for local stuff.