Why don't you get a cheap regular VCR and get a blank plastic panel, which you then Dremel to size and cut holes in it for the tape-load door and the IR receiver? Then paint it to your Dad's liking.

This could be your last opportunity to purchase a brand-new video cassette recorder. Funai Electric, the last VCR maker in Japan, sold only 750,000 of the units last year (down from a peak of 15 ...

i have a old mitsubishi vcr i bought about 10 yrs ago. spent about 460$ on it. only broke once before when i lent it out. just let someone borrow it, and of course when i got it back it was broken.