I was offered $5K over what I paid for my MM just three months ago. I'm not saying what i paid for it.

Just some recent ones thats come to mind.
Diamond Lil-$150
Spectrum- Free in a bulk deal
LOTR thats HUO-$2500

John P. Dayhuff
Battle Creek, Mi.
269-979-3836

My first ever pin was a 1972 Bally Time Zone. And I got it for $100 completely working in 2010. I thought that was a good deal. Pretty fun EM game.

Bought a HUO earthshaker a couple months ago for $1500 with the only issue being a left flipper not working, just replaced it with a proper fuse and it's been working since. Thought that was a pretty good deal.

I have two. A LAH for $500, and a STTNG for $1200. I bought STTNG last year, and it was in great shape. Person just didn't know what they had.

My Dad was talking to this guy at a garage sale who was selling some fireman related items...turns out he was a fireman for a long time, and then he mentioned he even has a Fire related pinball machine.... My dad gets his number as he said he would sell it for 50 bucks. He said it was not working.

Needless to say, I was extremely curiuos what it could be, but I was guessing Williams FIRE! given how he described it. So 100 mile roadtrip and 50 bucks later I had a Willams Fire! This is one of those cases where non-working meant it. CPU board had battery damage, so had to ship that off to get fixed.... then, what do you know, two displays out.... had to get them fixed... and some other small stuff. Still a good deal.

Cool old thread to revisit! No super scores like these for me though (curses) My best deal may have been my F-14 for $700 at an estate sale, but I'm also pretty happy with the $1400 i spent on my Earthshaker, playfield is pristine and clearcoated so nice and thick that any dust speck has a shadow under it. Got my fishtales for $1400 also and real happy with that, no cab fade, playfield a 9+ and already cointakered.

I already bragged on my score in another thread. With the help of a fellow pinsider, I got a JM in most excellent condition (with the glove rebuilt and a spare nut even) for $600. In fact I paid $600 each for my other two machines as well: A very pretty Speakeasy (play before you judge -- I really have a lot of fun on that one; love the flyaway targets and the roulette wheel...but I like gambling), and my first pin, a well-worn, but perfectly working Fireball II, which is near and dear to my heart.

I would just like to know what is the best price you have ever paid for a pinball machine? Working or not. I recently paid $ 50 dollars Canadian for a working Hollywood Heat machine. I picked it up at a garage sale, the lady that sold it to me said it used to work but just stopped. I bought it anyway, because come on 50 bucks, can't go wrong. So I got it home plugged it in, nothing. I noticed that the plug was all taped up though, so I cut off the plug replaced it with a new one I had at work. And guess what a perfectly working pinball machine for 50 bucks and about 2 minutes of labour. Hazzah.
Please post your pinball stories, and let me know whats the best deal you have received on a pinball.
Thanks Eric.

A Beat Time and Magic City that were bought together from Hub Music in No Dak in Dec. of 1967 complete with paperwork and flyers that sat in storage for over 20 years.
I got them both for free right before the tractor picked them up and shoved them into the roll off bin.
Here is a pic of Al Garber standing next to the Beat Time at PAGG.

big_al_beat_time.jpg

$1283 for a mint Monster Bash 9.5 on a 10 scale, those were the days, wish I still had it.
Bob

Yeah I have had some pretty ridiculous deals, but they were all about 10 years ago. My best bulk deal was I bought a JD, F14, SMB, Truck Stop, Radical, SFII, SBM, Barracorra, Mousin Around, HS2, Mr and mrs pacman, Space Invaders and a Diner for $2000!

And the 2 stand out deals that I have had over the years, and they really are stand out, are a TAF for $200 and a WMS IJ for $50!! Oh how times have changed

{six months ago} $125 for Time Warp. I put about $65 into it in parts to make it look the way it is in the pic below. (minus about 30 total hours polishing parts and soldering in some parts on the boards.) I learned a TON from the project and had a blast doing it. I ended up giving it to my step-pops for father's day.

imagejpeg_2_(7).jpg

500 eur for a very good condition Roadshow (just cleaning needed and a few minor issues)... and it wasnt back in the day... it was a month ago heheehhehehehehe

dnhayden, must be the magical number on Time Warps, I picked one up about 6 months ago for $125, in mint condition. Wierd. Those blue flip rubs look better than the yellow I bought, have to change mine out.
Bob

800 for a Pretty damn good looking Stargate, the only wear is on the backbox, but you can't see it cause the playfield is way to pretty

150 on e-bay for Cactus Jacks worked once I played with the power pot....but missing parts.
100 Wizard working but cracked back glass.

Got my aztec for $75 from a neighbor moving up north and he didnt want to move it. It wasnt working but with some help from a friend its playable now!

I scored a terminator 2, a mrs Pacman and a centipede for $50 dollars. sold the t-2 for 800 the next day and bought a fishtales with the money, traded it 2 months later for a GNR and traded a GNR for a stern Spiderman. So my fifty turn into a bad ass spidy not bad.

One that comes to mind is the time that I got my HUO LOTR (no flipper button wear at all) for $1500. Score! I also scored nice TZ,FH,FT, and a Mario Andretti for $4800.

JP ----- Free
JY ----- My Free JP plus $300

Gotten a few freebies over the last 24 years, including a SeaWitch and a Magic City, also had some trade deals where in the end I was almost paid to take the pin away

Really tough to remember my best buy, but some standouts would be an Indy in 1995 for $1600, and a HUO Family guy for $2600! Best bulk buy was a Mustang, Nitro Groundshaker , and Gridiron for $700, and there was a $100 cash inside the Mustang!!

I once picked up a TAF for $850.00

10$ for TimeWarp

$400 Theatre of Magic and $400 Champion Pub bought at the same time. I later traded a $900 LAH for a TZ. Still have the TZ.

I snagged a 400 dollar Pin Bot. It needed Glass, a lockdown bar, and one transistor on the left sling shot, but it is in good shape overall.

2 years ago I picked up a 6 pack.

Rocky & Bullwinkle
Terminator 2
Back to the Future
Dr. Dude
2x DE Simpsons

- $1,300 for the all of them

I bought 2 for $20 this spring. Old beat down games, but for $20 who cares?

Best price was $250 for a working Shaq Attaq. Best deal was a non-working STTNG for $1,100.

$6.25 shipped for a Tron LE

This may or may not be true

I think anything for $500 or less is a killer deal...so, I present my list:

LOTR $500. (Pretty clean, but a little wood gauge on the front of the cab kept it from being perfect)
BTTF $300 (warpy playfield, wood planking on cab, board probs...it was my first pin though, so I didn't really care at the time hehe)
Big Guns $325 (needed major shop out & repair, came out nice tho)
Dr. Dude $400 (way rough, faded, melted ramp...was a really nice 'players' game when I was done w/ it)
EATPM $500 (rough cab, some PF wear & broken plastics...cleaned up pretty nice, though)

That's motherf*cking epic. That's the one experience I haven't had in pinball...an insane bulk buy! Had a few with vids...but, eh...vids lol

Four games (three which worked and included a nice HS) for $1K from a bar owner

A T2 for $200 from an auto mechanic's shop

Nice T2 for a $50 raffle ticket.

Package deal of Slugfest and Cactus Canyon for $2000.

All of them sold. Have gotten 2 more CC's since then, but not as cheaply...

A STEAL by today's standards! Someone call the cops! ;-p

$2700 for a nice TZ...10 hours ago!

Medevil Madness $4.99
Monster Bash $4.99

On The Pinball Arcade by Farsight. Lol joking aside man you guys are lucky!

space shuttle for $270.00

some of you got great deals on great pins.

$1700 for a freshly shoped RFM that was in like new condition last Christmas. The guy needed cash for x-mas gifts.

BSD for $500. (slight fade and re-import, but worked 100%)
TZ for $1400. (CQ condition with no fade or wear)

I paid $300 for my Jurassic Park in great condition. I talked to the guy at my local Pizza shop and he sold it to me so he can put a booth in the corner.. The only thing I had to do is clean it and change some bulbs. I got it 4 years ago.

HUO Medieval Madness at an estate sale for $7,800+TAX in February of 2012.

$2,250 for a routed but modded out Twilight Zone March of 2012.

Good deals can still be had if your patient and persistent although I feel very lucky as well

A non working hs for 250.
A really nice gnr for 1350
1946 united 14' bowler for 400

Decent AFM last Summer for $2800.

Dan

Got a free Earthshaker from my best friend's father in law a few years back. I introduced his daughter to my friend, they wound up getting hitched. Maybe he felt like he owed me?

Paid $1k for a STTNG 2 years ago and $500 for a SST 3 years ago.

Funhouse for $400 and a WCS94 for free.

A FH for $500 last year
A MM for $2700 early production purple cabinet and others differences
A NBAFB for $300 it was an reimported that needed to be jumped properly
A TAFG for $3000

I bought a Williams Flash for $300, non working. Sold it when I got my Addams Family in dang good condition for $2k.

$250 for 94' DE Tommy, with original ball topper