Not that I am very knowledgeable, but........
I'm not a big fan of the hee-hee-hees, but if it's off route, I'd definitely give it a good sniff. It shouldn't smell like spilled beer, cigarettes, mold or burnt ozone! I know a lot of people really like the game! Around here in the pinball desert $1200 isn't a bad price, either. You could get that much back out of it. You can run all the tests, but sniff it, too. Also count the gum wads on the bottom, they're like tree rings. Tells you how long it's been routed.
(Silly, but effective).

Is the TFTC working currently, maldoror? If so, then yes its a good deal for the price. Hell yes I should add!

give it the 5 second rule through a new-be's eyes,
put yourself in a mood and try to forget everthing you know about pinball
when you walk in see the effect or zen it has on you -before your 1st game.
within 5 seconds you will know if its worthy -then play the hell out of it

As a comparison, I am looking to sell my TFTC that potentially has a bit more than yours via:

1). Cleaned up the playfield and cab as much as I could
2). New rubber ring kit installed
3). LEDs in playfield and two in backboard
4). Had all known issues, including the shaker motor, fixed by a very good repair technician
5). Added a very rare TFTC candelabra with flickering candle which looks amazing on top of the machine's backbox (candelabra can be seen here: http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Crypt-Keeper-Candelabra/dp/B001DBOSUS).
6). It should be noted that it has the door handle shooter

With the price I paid for the TFTC, as well as the cost of all repairs and upgrades, I would like to get $1500 for it. As such, $1200 for the one you mention does not seem too bad!

I found this thread as I'm looking at a TFTC this weekend, same price $1200 as
the two others I'm looking at are $1700 each this weekend.
I'm willing to have cabinet that isn't a sexy mama and a few dings for $500 less.

I'll be going into see this machine as though it's the first time

I love my TFTC. Make sure it plays well. Check the T-Gate to see if it's broke. Make sure the Tombstone goes up & down like it should, make sure flippers are strong. $1200 is a great price, if everything works. Check playfield for wear also.

Its an ok deal but nothing special.

Reasons for this.
1. It is straight off route. It needs a shop job. More than likely it has more wear than your typical tftc because it has been on route for almost two decades. It is a pretty old machine to still be on route.

2. The game runs from 1200-1800. Does it have the topper? How nice is it? The shop job is about 50 in parts and 200 in labor. How are the ramps? Plastics? Chances are it will need some things replaced and finding parts is harder on de than williams.

All in all unless it is beat to crap and has major issues its an ok buy, but not a screaming deal.

I paid $1280 for mine with a weak flipper (ended up just being a sleeve) and some broken plastics, so if this one is better than that I say, "Hell yeah go for it!" If the scoop hole is worn and the T-gate is broken you can buy cliffy's for them.

The Cryptkeeper is annoying as mentioned, but the gameplay is very fun.

I have one. My family enjoys it more than I do to be honest, but it's a fun game.

Good price if working.

Areas to consider - wear around scoop. Common, but the amount of wear will give you an idea of how hard it was routed. You can buy a cliffy to protect it from further damage ($30?). The rest of the playfield should be in good shape - there is seldom wear evident anywhere else.

Tombstone motor - $90 if it doesn't work

The 2 VUK's can be problematic if they haven't been serviced lately. Figure $75 for two rebuild kits.

Shaker motor?
Original door handle/shooter assembly?
Burnt GI pins?

If all that stuff checks out good, grab it. If any of those are problems, use as a negotiating tool.

I think it's a 1500-1600 pin if good and clean and all working.

Does it have the topper ? If not and you want to add one later expect to pay 100 to 150.00 extra.

I miss my TFTC and really would love to have another someday.

$1200 is a great price if it has no major issues. Minor ones are to be expected, G.I. burn is common, as mentioned game specific parts can be challenging to find for it and may be expensive, topper is a nice bonus, Scoop can be pretty blown out, makes a huge difference in game play. Mine had the scoop repaired/restored with cliffy installed and it was a very hard and important shot. So much harder with the scoop at the factory size, $1200 working is still a decent deal, I say buy it unless it is a total turd, put some love into it and enjoy it for a while, great game!

That is a fair deal. A lot of people are looking for them so if you do not like it, you can sell it later on.

Has anybody seen a topper for TFTC for sale in a while?

That's for sure. I've been looking for one of these for a year and the only one I came across was thrashed. Which brings me to the point of my post. If anybody has one for sale within a few hours drive of Hershey Pa, let me know. For some reason this has been the most elusive pin I have ever tried to buy.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me if it is in working order. Hard to get a decent pin for that price. Let us know how it turns out.

I paid 1400 for mine but it needed some work. I payed 1400 because the cabinet was great and the playfield were perfect.

absocountry ... here is a great topper for you.

ebay.com link: Crypt Keeper bust Tales Crypt head prop mask

Put some spotlight LEDs on that and you are set.
But now for actual toppers I have not seen any. I was lucky to have one with mine.

$1200 is a great deal if its in "good" shape. If its broken, then I'd say okay deal, depending on how much it takes to fix...

Very good game, one of DE's best by far.

Wow, that is a great mask. It would make a great topper. Almost too good if any little kids come around, almost scares me.

I just picked up mine for $1200 on Sunday.
Pros - Amazing playfield, works 100%, 2 working coin mechs (putting on location today),
DMD is just fine, sound is good, and plays great

Cons - paint chipping on cab decals, some humidity damage on backglass and lower of cabinet, no topper (so what).

One sold for $300 more at SPF last weekend that didn't work right, flippers were weak and playfield wasn't as nice