Does anyone have a point of view on this? I would assume it depends on how badly damaged the vinyl is. To me scratches would be enough since the vinyl is relatively soft but if you have filth that is burned in due to playing a dirty record previously, that would have the potential to damage your stylus.

if I buy a used record it does not touch my table until it has been through the spin clean and then I am cautious to make sure I disperse as much static as i can prior to playing. I have purchased used records that look fine but sound terrible due to the original owner not caring for them. Probably about 1 in 20 used records I have had to toss despite me being extremely cautious in the purchase process.