Adam, if you are going to buy a cam to view those tapes you would be better off getting a Dig 8 cam which is backward compatible with 8mm and Hi8. You can get good ones such as the TRV340 or TRV320 in good condition for well under $300 and have a cam that, unlike Hi8, will still take decent video.
If you want to go as cheap as possible I could transfer the tapes to a media of your choice if you buy the blank media. You would only be out the expense of the blank media.