Thinking I might be able to afford my first pin

[Liquid9281]

Hey all,

So you know how it is.  Tax return is coming soon and I have to spend the money on something.  At first I was thinking of getting the PS4 but there is so much stuff I am still playing on my PS3 and nothing really out for the PS4 I kind of have some funds that could go toward my first pin.  Just have a few issues.

I really don't know where to start.  I have looked up auctions and such but I don't see anything coming in the near future.  I'm probably just looking in the wrong places.  I also don't know how much a pin would end up costing me.  Kind of in the dark with the whole thing to be honest.

If anyone could give me some pointers that would be great.

You can reach me here, or through email (Liquid9281@gmail.com) or by phone 954 591 4241

Thanks all, looking forward to seeing everyone at the next event in March.

-Doug

[Baiter]

Your best bet is to look here for games to purchase, and scan craigslist next, then ebay for local ads.  Look at pricing guides and ratings to help guide you.  Pinball machines cost from $200-$20k, and there are more than enough sub-$1k games to keep you entertained.

http://www.ipdb.org/
http://pinside.com/pinball/top-100
http://www.bostonpinball.biz/eBay112013.htm
http://www.pinballprice.com/
http://www.pinpedia.com/
http://pinballreviews.com/

And you can check out some local shops
http://www.littleshopofgames.com/
http://gotpinball.com/

I could go on, but that should keep you busy for a bit.

[k7]

in general, do not buy a pin off of pinside. it's the premium (higher than eBay), and you 95% would still have to ship it in and prey the seller is up front with any and all issues.

best source is probably here to purchase. if you pick up something off craigslist, bring someone who is into pinball with you to really go over the game before purchase.

the key is, play before you buy/pay. some themes that are really great, are applied to a game with horrible play mechanics.

[Steve O]

There will be some pins for sale at the Jax Expo next week.

[Robertm]

Plus you can play lots of different titles and see what you like. No sense to buy just because its cheap. You have to enjoy it to play it... Go to show, and places that have pins and you can test drive lots of titles....

[pindan3]

Have to agree! PLAY THEM FIRST!  Even when I did buy games to be shipped (Dallas Show) I played them first! If you do have issues there are some really good techs in our area!

[micksimmonds]

Yep Patience is key, do not rush into buying a game just because its cheap, isnt always a good reason to buy

as everyone has said, play before pay, many games you might enjoy could have terrible themes, or the theme is great and gameplay is meh at best, as a first pin, honestly its better to get a 100% working example, as nothing worse than getting a pin and finding out its got issues, unless you have a good tech local, it can become a nightmare, maybe visit Curly, Randy etc and test out the retail side of machines, all those will be good to go, shopped etc and again you can test a wide variety, hit up Jax Expo and again play loads more machines to see what you like, do not like

and just because one person says its a great game does not mean you will think the same 

[Mike McCarthy]

There is a williams jungle lord in sarasota... nice game $600. a little far for me or else id scoop it up in a heartbeat
http://www.villagebbs.com/forum/index.php/topic,23078.0.html

[HammysHangout ( Hammy )]

I remember when i bought my first PIN.... it all went down hill from there.

same goes for expensive test equipment.

[Liquid9281]

Thank you all for the info.  Lets just say the financial situation has changed

Guess I'll have to stick with The Pinball Arcade and Zen Pinball on my console to get my fix for the foreseeable future.

[Mike McCarthy]

Thank you all for the info.  Lets just say the financial situation has changed

Guess I'll have to stick with The Pinball Arcade and Zen Pinball on my console to get my fix for the foreseeable future.

hmm sorry to hear it... I had an atari middle earth for only $500, but no one on here was interested so I sold it to a friend. next time you get about $200 or $300 I'll help you find a cheap game that needs some work