The title pretty much says it all here...

Looking for a 9 speed group set, but don't really want to splurge on super amazing stuff.

Purty usually costs money......
That's the problem with C&Vers. We are always soooo vain....

Dura Ace 7700 is one of the most stunning groups ever made. That being said I've never but a 9s group. Go 10s.

Cheap and attractive? Yes. Mismatched vintage stuff. Suntour Vx or VGT-Lux derailleurs. Weinmann, Dia-Compe, or Mafac brakes. Normandy, Suntour, or Shimano hubs. It the old days (when some of us bought our first bikes) we didn't worry about gruppo's because they didn't exist.

The cool thing with Shimano is that it all plays well together. You can buy a set of good brifters and use them with any pretty, older SIS derailleur you like. At least thats what this cheap old man did.

You hit the nail on the head. Suntour FD, RD and Shifters. Dia Compe brakes. Mallard hubs. SR seatpost and stem.....
Wow sounds like my first Trek.
Cheap and Attractive. .... YES

Please define cheap. Road?

forget groupsets. mix and match.

campy S. record double with suntour DT powershifters, superbee FD, non Aero SLR shimanos with ultegra 6500 single piv brakes & RD.

I find that the cheaper Shimano stuff- the Tiagra/105 level- is more attractive than the more expensive groups. Plain silver aluminum stays pretty and is easier to clean than black or multi-shade anodized any day.

9sp Ultegra, especially 2nd gen shifters, last pretty crankset by Shimano.
9sp 105, especially 2nd Gen. w/black lettering. Great value.
9sp Tiagra, very durable, square taper crankset.

9sp Dura Ace is great, not always cheap, and the cranksets scuff quickly. Still the best 9sp ever made, IMO, and even better with DT shifters.

Another option is 10sp DA w/DT shifters, fill in the group with polished Shimano stuff from 105, Ultegra, and DA, use Tektro calipers to save $.

Parts I like... because they all do what they do so well.

Ultegra 6500 triple and Ultegra GS derailleur mated to a custom 7 speed Suntour block (an 8 speed wheelset is coming), Suntour Vx front derailleur, Campy shifters and brake levers, Zeus Ti brakes, Suzue / Araya wheels.

I will also install 8 speed DT shifters when I get the new old wheels.

New??

Campy Veloce, Alloy (silver). Looks good work great.

Yes, Chorus 10 speed is a great value.

I also use a Chorus 9 speed group on a bike that is very impressive. Some fantastic deals out there if you are patient.

FWIW I just picked up a 9 speed Record groupset yesterday with the titanium bits for a really nice price. Absolutely amazing how little wear is on some of these bits.

Ultegra open pro wheelset ($300)
8 speed cassette ($30)
10 speed veloce ergos ($110 from across the pond)
polish up a 6500 ultegra RD ($40 on the bay)
add your choice of attractive cranks, BB, and FD (which you probably already have)
SRAM 830 chain ($20)

At best your fiddling might be limited to having to file in some ramps on your big ring if you're one of those impatient types like I am...

Got an attractive 7 speed cassette wheelset lying around, then swap out the veloce brifters for athena ones, and do an 8 of 9 on 7 setup, shortening a 9 speed cassette.

Eh, cheap is relative. I'm mostly just looking for something along the lines of "cheap as I can." Definitely for a road. Preferably 9 speed. I don't mind mix and matching (so thanks for those ideas, everyone!) and I don't mind if the components I get are used.

Just not looking on spending a fortune. The frame isn't super spectacular and I'm just building it up for fun and doing some customization, so I just want it to be rideable and pretty while not costing more than a nicer bicycle. That may be out of the question, of course--and I still have the original components--but I'm trying to clean it up nice(r).

I've used Sora and 105 before and never had any issues with them. I have all Campy (Campy Mirage to be exact) on my bike right now and i'm kinda fearing having to spend $$$ when this stuff takes a dump and needs to be repaired. Bar end shifters are looking more and more attractive.

Campy brifters can be rebuilt pretty easily, and the parts to do so aren't expensive. Some of my three pairs of 8-spd Campy Ergo brifters go back 20 years, and I've rebuilt 3 of the 6 (two rear, one front) in that time. If you're not inclined to do it yourself, Branford Bikes will do it. The Campy (and Sachs) RD's seem to last forever, and the trim function for the front means that you can use any FD. OTOH, my son's 9-spd Dura-Ace front brifter gave up after about 5 years.

Shimano Claris is inexpensive but not cheap quality wise. It gets rave reviews. Most say comparable to 105 or Tiagra.

Microshift isn't too bad-looking. R9 comes in silver, I believe...

Good to know there is someone out there who can rebuild them. Thanks for the tip.

And define decent and attractive, too. What are your parameters?

+1 to define cheap, decent and attractive. These are all fairly subjective, and what works for one application (road) may not be ideal for another (commuting, touring, mtb/cross).

Are you only looking at new items? Consider a used group, or buying a donor bike and selling what you don't need.