Always get an incubator with a fan, or make plans to add one in. My cheap incubator works fine, but I had to add a computer cooling fan to get the temperature right. The incubator thermostat only measures one area and turns off when that spot hits the target. If there are hot/cold spots, your eggs won't all hatch correctly.
The egg turner is nice, but not necessary. I ended up getting an inexpensive one off of eBay once I decided to hatch more often. Otherwise, turn by hand at least 3x daily. Here's my bare bottom estimate for what it costs to hatch 20 quail through their first 6 weeks.
Still Air Incubator $65
Fan for Incubator $20
Hatching Eggs, $3 each x 30 = $60 (presumes you want 20 chicks and have a 67% hatch rate)
Brooder, a simple storage box $15
Heat lamp and bulb $20
50# bag of gamebird chow $20
Total, $200 (around $10 each. If you hatch more, the cost goes down per bird.)
This is just the bare bones estimate. Personally, knowing what I know now, I'd splurge on a better incubator. Here's a link to the cheap incubator and fan I use.
Little Giant Still Incubator
I think if you're just trying this out for the first time, buying chicks is more cost effective. Aim for a fewer to start with and if you like raising quail, take the plunge and hatch them the next time. Or, if you know someone with a reliable incubator, that would reduce your initial cost of hatching.
