Start with a reasonably priced Bally/Williams/Data East game from the 80s to 90s range. There are tons of standardized parts available, they're built well, they cost less, and there are mountains of repair guides out there.

I wouldn't start with an EM. They're not terribly complicated from a mechanical perspective, but diving into schematics can be a little confusing.

A newer game may have less mileage on it, but cost will be much higher and it's best to learn with a bit more basic game.

Edit: My first game was a Jurassic Park that needed work. I learned so much on that thing. I gained a lot of confidence fixing simple stuff like switches, replacing coils, doing flipper rebuilds, and working on the T-Rex. From there I felt good about taking more complicated projects in and learning as I went.

Don't buy your first one, they multiply

Both are excellent starters.

Yes, I can remember when I had 3 and thought I was king. And then 6 . . .

Taxi is an awesome start. System-11 games are classic. While Space Shuttle is a fun game that might have a few technical issues you don't want as a noob.

Go and visit Tony at The Pinball Warehouse next time you are in Brisbane. There you can play 20 or 30 machines on the showroom floor with no obligation to buy.

Depending on where your skill level is at. Youtube is littered with short how to videos. Use a meter, learn to solder, check continuity, check things like bridge rectifiers and transistors and fuses.

You could start learning long before you have a machine.

And lots of people here on Pinside will help you if you get stuck.

LTG : )

Definitely start with a solid state game as someone else has pointed out (unless you are in love with a certain EM machine that you can find in working condition).

No matter what you buy, you'll always have a ton a' folks here willing to give advice. I've got my own lil' new addition that's a project as well.

Your story is very familiar. I was exactly in your place about a year and half ago. I bought a broken pin (Flash) and then methodically went at it. Jar155 is right on.

Here is my list, mainly for older machines.

1. Definitely get one. Restoration and repair is daunting, but quite rewarding.
2. RE #1: Look for a pin with a good playfield. Touch up is an art. And mistakes are ugly. Most other mistakes in the restoration are easily rectified, or corrected without affecting the look of the pin. If you're artistic and good with a brush, ignore this. Follow Vid's recommendations to the letter if you start painting.
3. Look for a pin where the unique playfield parts are all there and in good shape. Some of those specialized parts can be hard to find or expensive.
3b. Cupped inserts are a drag (older pins). My Flash has this problem. Fixing them is possible, but not simple.
4. Look closely at all the circuit boards: if you see corrosion from batteries etc., know that you'll be investing in replacement boards from rottendog and the like.
4. Invest in a good pencil or station soldering iron, solder sucker, etc. once you get your pin. Try to get old electronic parts from an old TV repair place or similar, and practice desoldering and soldering on junk. Lots of good videos on technique.
5. Invest in a good digital multimeter. Don't buy a $5 one on ebay. Pay the extra, it's worth it.
6. Assure proper fuses in all locations first when you get it home. Wrong fuses are epidemic.

You best option to understand basic electrical circuit theory and pinball operation is an electromechanical machine from the 1960s or 1970s. Any Bally, Williams, or Gottlieb machine is a good choice as long as the title had a solid production number if you need additional parts. People that say EMs are confusing, really have never done any significant repairs or restorations, or have decided not to learn basic terminology and wire diagrams, both of which are fundamental skills of pinball collecting. The electrical functionality is no more difficult than the mechanics.

If you wish to "step it up" use a late 1970s or early 1980s solid state Bally/Stern machine (as they use essentially the same PCB systems that slightly involved between the 70s and early 80s, particularly sound boards) such as Eight Ball Deluxe. Early solid state Williams and Gottlieb are a little trickier as a first machine, as some people have problems understanding the board design. Fortunately, technical information is now well documented in comparison to what was written 30 years ago. This will get you involved in understanding the correlation between MPU operation, solenoids, switches, feature lights, and sound, how they work together, and especially repair areas such as soldering, crimping and fusing.

Stay away from games that are foreign produced such as Bell, Inder, LTD, Taito, Zaccaria and others, as you will only find a few people that understand the original board sets, and game specific parts can be a problem.

Stay away from late model BLY/WMS complex machines such as TZ, RS, and STTNG as projects, as they are above apprentice level of repairs regardless of what people will say "they are not that hard". More people have been dissuaded by buying machines that are above their repair skill levels, only to quit and never return to the hobby than for any other reason. I guarantee somebody is going to counter argue here on this point, so whomever this might be, feel free to troll away.

Cabinet repair is sometimes the most labor intensive, but requires lower levels of skill, unless dry rot is severe.
Watch the bottom of cabinets and glue for delamination and weakness.

The rest of the "how" is to start reading Pinwiki, we wrote the documents for a reason.
Find a local collector to become their "protege" and you will learn even faster.

Buying a NIB machine will tell you zero regarding learning pinball operation and repair, unless you simply want to play.
The only thing it will tell a new buyer is how to set the game up, if a person even follows directions.
The basic point I provide is game maintenance is not repair, or vice versa.
NIB game owners get these concepts mixed up.

However, simply buying a new game and sitting it your house, did not seem to be the premise of your inquiry.

Well,I also was in your position 4 yrs.ago,and I'm going to suggest a nib pin with a theme you really like! Find a pintech guy as close to you as you can,and hit the start button!!