You'd best go vintage. Keep an eye on Craigslist for a pair you can pick up locally. Also browse AudioKarma for an idea of which models to look for. Don't be afraid of repairs. Soldering new caps and resistors into a crossover is easy. So is refoaming damaged surround. Both aren't terribly expensive, either, and you can get guidance in the DIY Forum.
There are two reasons why good floorstanders are not cheap.
First, the cabinets have to be heavy, braced and well-damped. Otherwise, the cabinet will vibrate and act like a speaker itself. I experienced this myself while building a pair. At various stages, I hooked them up and the cabine resonances were clear as day. As I added more to them, they tightened up and sounded great. And I put about $150 and a good 40 hours into making them that way.
Second, good drivers cost money. They have to be made to tight tolerances, there's labor, copper, big magnets, and so on. You start to get good quality in the $50-$100 range. For a two-way pair, you can easily spend $300-$400 just for the drivers. Then there's the crossovers, miscellaneuous stuff (screws, ports, jacks, etc.).
The cheapest way to get good speakers is to find old, depreciated ones. Some of them are very good.
The next cheapest way is to build your own. You'll put some labor in, but they won't cost anywhere what retail would be.
