So my buddy wants to buy his first pinball machine and he's got $1200 to spend. What should he buy?
(Topic ID: 125466)
Linked Games
Space Invaders
Bally, 1980
Topic Gallery
Homestead, FL
Many awesome games that can and will be mentioned for sure. However I will say this, that price point is hot so I wouldn't be too picky. If he wants to learn repair he can get a slightly better deal on something broke, however for a first pin he needs something working somewhat. Regardless of outside influence if you find a game he likes for around 1000$, snatch it up man. Good luck !
Quoted from doublestack:Many awesome games that can and will be mentioned for sure. However I will say this, that price point is hot so I wouldn't be too picky. If he wants to learn repair he can get a slightly better deal on something broke, however for a first pin he needs something working somewhat. Regardless of outside influence if you find a game he likes for around 1000$, snatch it up man. Good luck !
Good advice. Thx much!
ANY Gottlieb sys80 game, if you can find it for 1000.
If the boards are clean and playing, it is likely to be a rock solid game. Many have similar style as sys11 games for a fraction of the cost.
Grimsby, ON
Swords of Fury if you can find one. Great game. If there's one for sale it should be around that or cheaper, depends on how beat up it is.
Tough question. If he liked EM's he can have 3 or 4 instantly. If he liked system 11's High Speed is a great choice. Most system 11's are pretty good. I love High Speed as a mainly DMD guy. Solid states in between EM and System 11 I'm not a big fan of, but plenty of people are and there should be plenty in that price point. If he liked DMD's he should save a little more money. I tend to like the DMD's. If i find a deal on an older title or an EM I jump on it, shop it out, enjoy it and sell it. I've had a few occasions where people liked the price tag or liked the title when they were younger and saw my newer games and decided to save up. I've thought about putting the cheaper games in a different room because seeing an AFM next to a Silverball Mania makes for a tough sell. I never would, this is a hobby. No way to know what he likes until he buys a few.
Quoted from Law:Swords of Fury if you can find one. Great game. If there's one for sale it should be around that or cheaper, depends on how beat up it is.
SoF isn't high on my want list and I'd snap it up anywhere near $1k. All the threads I see recently are WTB ads and the occasional one for nearly double that...
High Speed or F14
FirePower is a LOT of fun!
Bottom line - play what he finds in his price range that is available at PinFest. Buy the one he enjoys playing the most!
Quoted from waldo34:The Big Hurt
Big Hurt is a fun game.
Berlin
1200 or less...
Firepower
Sorcerer
Harlem Globetrotters
Pinbot
Nine ball
Big game
Joker Poker
Firepower II
Space shuttle
Fireball Classic
High Speed
Earthshaker?
Taxi
Pinbot
Space Shuttle
Firepower
Space Station
Earthshaker which are hard to find maybe $1,500
Fireball Classic
Quoted from waldo34:The Big Hurt
Just like Big Daddy 1k gets you a project. We musn't think so big.
Taxi and Earthshaker aren't $1,000 games anymore - more like $2,000 games. Would be very hard to find a Big Hurt or Mousin Around for a $1,000 too.
High Speed would be my vote - can still be had for close to a $1,000 (but would have to pay more for a nice one).
Quoted from pinwiztom:I would buy 2 pins
an EM and a early S/S
WMS Big Deal or GTB Top Score for the EM
and BLY SuperSonic or Stern Stars
Man speaks the truth right here. Not only does he save money but EM's are easier to fix and don't break as often as newer games.
Quoted from KingDaddy:Taxi and Earthshaker aren't $1,000 games anymore - more like $2,000 games. Would be very hard to find a Big Hurt or Mousin Around for a $1,000 too.
High Speed would be my vote - can still be had for close to a $1,000 (but would have to pay more for a nice one).
You need to look a little harder. Taxi and ES can easily be found in the 1k range with a little hunting and effort. They will have some issues but easily found. Most Sys11 can still be found for 8-1200 if you have some patience and hunt around.
They are commonly sold for 1500plus for nice examples but when you are on a shoestring budget you can find then in need of love for under 1k.
Earthshaker for 2K? Ur smokin the herb.
Taxi, I think more like 1400-1800 for one that is not a complete pile of junk. That's why I left it OFF my list.
Quoted from Whysnow:You need to look a little harder. Taxi and ES can easily be found in the 1k range with a little hunting and effort. They will have some issues but easily found. Most Sys11 can still be found for 8-1200 if you have some patience and hunt around.
They are commonly sold for 1500plus for nice examples but when you are on a shoestring budget you can find then in need of love for under 1k.
I just paid well over $2k for my Taxi - and looked for months. Right now there are two Taxis on CL in New England - one for $2,800 and one for $2,200. A few weeks ago, member listed a player's Taxi here (in NH) for $1,500 and it sold in a matter of hours, with a waiting list to look at it. I was a few hours too late. I saw a badly beaten up Earthshaker for $1,700 - but they're rare,
This could be regional - and I have no doubt if you spent a long time looking you might find a project one in a rural location for under $1k... but you could say that about almost any title. And I'm not sure that is what the OP wants.
Prices have been changing a lot recently... System 11 - particularly Taxi, Diner, Whirlwind, Elvira and Earhtshaker - have been appreciating.
Quoted from KingDaddy:I just paid well over $2k for my Taxi - and looked for months. Right now there are two Taxis on CL in New England - one for $2,800 and one for $2,200. A few weeks ago, member listed a player's Taxi here (in NH) for $1,500 and it sold in a matter of hours, with a waiting list to look at it. I was a few hours too late. I saw a badly beaten up Earthshaker for $1,700 - but they're rare,
This could be regional - and I have no doubt if you spent a long time looking you might find a project one in a rural location for under $1k... but you could say that about almost any title. And I'm not sure that is what the OP wants.
Prices have been changing a lot recently... System 11 games have been appreciating.
I paid 1200 for a Mr/Ms pac-man. Does that mean that now it's magically worth that much? I also want to point out that the first post says 1200, but the title of the thread says 1000.
Quoted from KingDaddy:It's mainly Whirlwind, Elvira, Taxi, Earthshaker and Diner...
And the cheapest of all those will ALWAYS be Earthshaker. Just like TAF will never be more valuable than a TZ if condition is identical. There are certain principles in pinball that never change. One other standard that tends to hold true: the NIB price of a Stern hovers directly in between the price of a decent TAF and TZ.
But it's not for sale. While we're at it, you can see all the pins that people have given me for feee, and my 1,000 Getaway and so on and so forth.
The last three Eathshakers listed here by members: $2,300, $2,000, $2,800...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-nice-earthshaker-2300-philly-area
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-earthshaker-2000-obo
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-earthshaker-in-beautiful-condition
Honestly, I wish you were even close to being right. I'd pay $1,500+ for a players Earthshaker today.
Bah, list price/asking prices are a joke.
And you would be right if you shop on eBay and Pinside...
Maybe I should try to turn around my ES parts machine into a 1500 one then.
To be fair, I put a ? next to the game. You would have to be patient to find one for 1400 but they are out there. Hell, 800 non working ones are out there... I have proof 
I like Black Hole for what it is... It's just lacking the long term gameplay for me. The features of the game are quite an amazing production. Once that fact wears off, it seems to not be that exciting any longer. I'm satisfied with playing it a couple times a year, no need to own it.
Quoted from bobhvacguy:F 14 is a BRUTAL game to own as your first pin!!
I bought F14 as my first pin and I can vouch for this. It makes kids cry.
Most import is to make sure its playable. If you've only got $1000 to spend, you don't want to be stuck with a Sys11 that has bubbling mylar and raised inserts. Also always check for battery acid damage!
A $1000 machine that needs a $400 MPU and $600 playfield is not a $1000 machine. You can easily get burned in this price range, so bring a friend. 
Promoted items from Pinside Marketplace and Pinside Shops!
Reply
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!
Donate to PinsideGreat to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!
