(Topic ID: 90324)

Advice from pinsiders on buying in Jersey

By pthron

9 years ago


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  • 39 posts
  • 20 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 9 years ago by yzfguy
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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    #1 9 years ago

    Hi all,

    I'm new to the forum but have been a pinballer for the better part of 45 years. I'm finally in the market for a table now (25th anniversary gift from my wife!) and have been searching around but am still undecided. I live in Northern New Jersey and am hoping that some of you who have had dealings in the Jersey/NY/PA area can point me in the direction of some reputable sellers who can offer clean machines and potentially service them down the road, though service could come from someone else later on.

    I definitely appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
    Cheers,
    Phil

    #2 9 years ago

    phil. i am in Northern NJ too. Kevin at Classic Pinball was who I bought my first game from. He is great and everyone loves him. there are also a lot of trustworthy local guys around and you will find them on the forum. most people will say to stay away from a few of the local ebay guys and if you want to know who they are just search this forum or pm and i will let you know. i have a tron le that i am looking to move. not sure that is your cup of tea but let me know if you are interested. welcome to the club. ant

    #3 9 years ago

    Hi Phil. Where are you located?

    #4 9 years ago

    Rockland County NY is the place to buy! But all we can do are LED swaps.

    #5 9 years ago

    Welcome to the forum, lots of good guys on here to help

    Thanks
    Mike

    #6 9 years ago

    Thanks for the quick replies, guys. I'm in Caldwell. I'm looking to spend in the area of $3500 or so.
    ant, though I haven't played the Tron LE, it looks amazing, but I'm quite certain the price is out of my league. Down the road, perhaps, I'll be able to step up to the pricier pins (my wife did leave open the possibility of more of these, which is almost as exciting as finally acquiring the first). Classic Pinball is only about 15 minutes from me, so I think I'm going to give a call and try to arrange a visit down there...thanks for the tip on that. Looks like he might have a Funhouse available in the range of $3000 and that's a machine I love. Ironically, I also played it a bit on my honeymoon when we were doing a visiting tour of family and ended up in an arcade in FLA.

    I will keep checking the thread. I appreciate the friendly advice and hope to get to know folks on the forum.

    #7 9 years ago

    My pal Kevin shares a space in Little Falls. His showroom is full of new and older games, too many to count. Google classic pinball woodland park for contact info. Come Saturday, the gang is usually all there to boot.
    Pinaholic

    #8 9 years ago
    Quoted from Saveleaningtower:

    phil. i am in Northern NJ too. Kevin at Classic Pinball was who I bought my first game from. He is great and everyone loves him. there are also a lot of trustworthy local guys around and you will find them on the forum. most people will say to stay away from a few of the local ebay guys and if you want to know who they are just search this forum or pm and i will let you know. i have a TRON LE that i am looking to move. not sure that is your cup of tea but let me know if you are interested. welcome to the club. ant

    Kevin is a good choice. Gwaxt on the group here is local and has goo deals. Ebundy in CT is a good dude. I'm in bergen county. Which pin you have in mind? EM, SS, DMD?

    #9 9 years ago
    Quoted from shlockdoc:

    Kevin is a good choice. Gwaxt on the group here is local and has goo deals. Ebundy in CT is a good dude. I'm in bergen county. Which pin you have in mind? EM, SS, DMD?

    First one will likely be an SS. I love playing almost any pin, and eventually would like to add some older games as well (quite fond of Klondike and Central Park, as well as a ton of others I played as a boy). I want my family to enjoy it as well. We're big Doctor Who fans and I know they would love that. Not sure if I can do that in the price range or if I could find a good one available, but it's on my radar. The above mentioned Funhouse is a favorite, and I love Eight Ball Deluxe and Cue Ball Wizard. Bride of Pinbot is another I enjoy. Cyclone, Comet, Centaur, Tales From the Crypt.
    Of course down the road I'd love to acquire an Addams Family, Attack From Mars, TZ, or TOM, but am quite willing to bide my time.

    Years ago, when I worked at a local Blimpies, we had a Paragon machine that we played endlessly after hours. Silverball Mania too, though I recently played it at the Silverball Museum and it didn't quite hold up as well as it once did for me.

    Hell, there aren't many I don't like, but those are some favorites.

    #11 9 years ago

    Contact Kevin and try to stop by his place Saturday. There are plenty of new games there.

    #12 9 years ago

    Avoid sellers in Mahwah...lots of info here and on old RGP posts

    #13 9 years ago
    Quoted from Max_Badazz:

    Avoid sellers in Mahwah...lots of info here and on old RGP posts

    what he said!

    #14 9 years ago

    I'm not far from Caldwell if you ever want to stop by and test drive anything!

    #15 9 years ago

    Can I take your car for a spin?

    #16 9 years ago

    We're going to try to stop in today at Classic Pinball after speaking with Kevin, though he said they don't currently have later model pins for sale apart from the newer Sterns which are a touch out of my league.

    I will avoid Mahwah sellers in general, guys...thanks.

    T2 is an excellent machine, spfxted, one I've really enjoyed playing, including virtually (I practically rub through the glass on my iPad playing Pinball Arcade).

    #17 9 years ago

    really just the one guy that sells junk in mahwah. one of us can give you his name if you want. just pm one of us.

    #18 9 years ago

    i am in verona . stop buy and play. wannapin (paul drabik)sells very nice machines as well. a bit south of us but services what he sells and is very fair. and a vote for kevin as well.

    #19 9 years ago

    I will give you his name, it is Gary Valentine. Extremely dishonest seller, from one of many of his victims.

    #20 9 years ago

    Kevin at Classic Pinball is a stand up guy... if you are in his area you will get sales and service in one place on used machines.

    We are in northeast PA - just over border and are distributors for Jersey Jack Pinball (WOZ and the Hobbit), Planetary Pinball (Medieval Madness Remake), Spooky Pinball (America's Most Haunted and Pinball Zombies), and Virtuapin (video pinball)... if you are looking for new machines in box.

    There's a ton of repair guys as well - I recommend Ray Brackins from Wide Area Repair from Phili area - he does work in NJ too...

    There is a huge pinball community in PA/NY/NJ you won't have any issues finding games to buy and people to help.

    Good luck..

    Joe Newhart
    PinballSTAR Amusements
    570-357-0042
    [email protected]

    #21 9 years ago
    Quoted from Imeh:

    I will give you his name, it is Gary Valentine. Extremely dishonest seller, from one of many of his victims.

    and there you have it. i am always afraid one of these guys will hunt me down or try to harm my family. maybe i am just paranoid but there are some crazies out there.

    #22 9 years ago
    Quoted from pthron:

    T2 is an excellent machine

    I may be selling mine soon...
    Lemme know....come play!

    #23 9 years ago

    my bottom feels good.pngmy bottom feels good.png

    #24 9 years ago
    Quoted from pthron:

    Hi all,
    I'm new to the forum but have been a pinballer for the better part of 45 years. I'm finally in the market for a table now (25th anniversary gift from my wife!) and have been searching around but am still undecided. I live in Northern New Jersey and am hoping that some of you who have had dealings in the Jersey/NY/PA area can point me in the direction of some reputable sellers who can offer clean machines and potentially service them down the road, though service could come from someone else later on.
    I definitely appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
    Cheers,
    Phil

    Welcome aboard Phil.

    Most of us North Jersey guys here on Pinside are reliable and honest. Whether we actually part with our dearly beloved pins is another story. There's a few that cycle through pins quicker than others. Pins can sell pretty quick in the NY/NJ area, so you have to keep your eyes open. Deals on Craigslist and eBay are rare, and as Max B mentioned the guy (Gary) that sells in Mahwah (ebay ID: Tyler, Taylor?) is a no-no. Your best bet is to network with the area pinheads and put the word out as to what you're looking for. You're always welcome to ask price and repair advice as opportunities arise. We'll all give it to you straight.

    Good luck on your search. I'm in Oakland (~25 mins from you). Feel free to stop by a kick the tires on my pins.

    Regards,

    Brian

    #25 9 years ago

    Thanks for all the great advice, guys. We met with Kevin yesterday, along with pinaholic and some other folks and it was a fun visit that served to whet my appetite even further. He's already reached out in his network to see about a Doctor Who pin for us. This would be a good first machine since it will help serve to get the family involved as we love the show and I've enjoyed the machine a great deal, as has my son.

    Also spoke with some other folks on the forum about potential tables as well. And spfxted, depending on how these go I might want to discuss that T2...

    So all in all a really good beginning. Nice to know I'll have one of my own soon and that there's a solid community out there to help. Thanks again.

    #26 9 years ago

    Phil,

    There is a Doctor Who for sale down in Monmouth County (Exit 109 on GSP) from pinsider pinstym. Really great guy.

    Here is a link to his ad:

    http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-trade-doctor-who-in-central-nj

    I dont think he sold it yet. His post was for a trade but I think he is willing to sell it as well.

    Good luck in your search!
    Ed

    #27 9 years ago
    Quoted from pthron:

    And spfxted, depending on how these go

    We should chat anyway...just to get ya in the group here...

    #28 9 years ago

    I'll throw my hat in the ring -- I'm in Caldwell. Feel free to swing by and play. I bought my METLE from Kevin. He is a standup guy as I'm sure you've already figured out. Any luck on picking up your first pin?

    #29 9 years ago

    Got myself a Doctor Who table over the weekend from Pinstym. Great guy, great machine. Absolutely loving it, as are the other members of my family, particularly my son. Thanks for everyone's advice. I am sure I'll be needing more along the way.

    Hope to meet a few more folks in person when my daughter's soccer schedule lightens up. Right now, the majority of my play time will be in the wee hours of the weekend, assuming I don't have an early drive to a team in another state the next day. But any time playing on this table in the comfort of my home is a bliss I've been waiting for a long time....

    #30 9 years ago

    Congrats!

    #32 9 years ago

    +1 for Kevin at Classic Pinball
    Also Paul at Wannapinball.com is very good too
    Either guy will get you setup
    njg

    #33 9 years ago

    Congrats. Let me know if you need help getting your second pin next week. Been there. Done that. Thought I was getting one last September and now have two, with a hobbit on preorder and looking for a fourth. Your kids college education isn't looking too good right now.

    #34 9 years ago

    Picked a great guy to deal with for your first purchase, Pinstym is a straight shooter. congrats!

    #35 9 years ago
    Quoted from yzfguy:

    Picked a great guy to deal with for your first purchase, Pinstym is a straight shooter. congrats!

    Thanks.

    I should add that Phil was great to deal with.

    You guys local to him, if you're serious about helping him with his next game you should PM him your contact info. He WILL need help. It was pretty crazy getting the Dr in the game room. Most difficult pin move since I've been doing this.

    #36 9 years ago

    Congrats Phil. I am glad it all worked out...I am sure pin #2 won't be far behind!

    Ed

    #37 9 years ago
    Quoted from Pinstym:

    Thanks.
    I should add that Phil was great to deal with.
    You guys local to him, if you're serious about helping him with his next game you should PM him your contact info. He WILL need help. It was pretty crazy getting the Dr in the game room. Most difficult pin move since I've been doing this.

    you DELIVER?! lol

    Phil- where in North Jersey are you?

    #38 9 years ago
    Quoted from yzfguy:

    you DELIVER?! lol
    Phil- where in North Jersey are you?

    He's in Caldwell. 6th post down in this thread.

    I only delivered because there is a Chinese Restaurant in Livingston with an awesome Vegetarian menu

    #39 9 years ago

    That's what I get for skimming.....

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