The charity raffle is Project pinball . They are legit . As far as layaway I’m thinking savings account .

offer free storage to other collectors in your area on the agreement that you can play the games all you want.

No offense, u are not in a desperate need for a pin, u need to get ur finances right. A pinballmachine is just a really expensive toy. In our country, the unspoken rule, is to "invest" maximum 1/4 of ur savings/income into something that could lose it's whole value.

Fix up the EM, sell it for more than you bought it for, buy another project. Rinse and repeat.

BTW, a pinball machine should never be.something you finance or put on credit.

1. Be patient
2. Check with operators in your area for any routed machines
3. Get a second job for “fun money”. I got my real estate license and do it on the side. Sell a house = new pin!

Even if you had credit, that is not really recommended for luxury items like pinball machines. The prudent thing is to save your credit for important housing expenses and emergencies.
Once you get your finances under control, you should consider dialing down your expectations. There are some great early solid state games. Learn about repair as well...most likely the most affordable pins are going to be those in need of repair. The caution here is biting off more than you can chew: parts and tools can add up quick. If you don't take the proper care to become educated about the inner workings your economical project pin could turn into a money pit.

To give you some tough love - If you do not want to save up for something or not willing to work a little extra or a little harder for something then you don’t really want it enough.

Work on those things first and you can get a pin or many other things in life. I would focus on “needs” first. Pinball is a “want”.

I hope you make some adjustments and get whatever you are looking for, whether it be a Pinball or anything else you need. It really isn’t that hard to save once you get started.

This.

First, join your local league so you are in touch with the natives that might have some games to sell you.

Next, save up what you want to spend, let's say save $3500.

Once you have your budget, you will have great clarity as to what games you could buy.

Having a fixed budget will keep you from overspending.

You should also sell all the crap you have sitting around your house. Sell the RAM from your old computer, sell the car amps & speakers from your old car, sell that bass guitar you have sitting in the closet.

Find an old lady with a bunch of pins, marry her, then reap a windfall in 15-30 years

See If your local Plasma donation center will pay you for "donating" Eat a big breakfast 5-6 cups of coffee then hit up the Plasma banks If you go to more then one a day use different arms.

get a second job. if you are too busy working then you cant spend the money, so saving it up would be easier. save enough for the pin then quit second job. hell i used to claim 0 exemptions on taxes at work so more was taken out, so when i did my taxes every year, i knew i would get back a nice chunk to help fund a new pin.

Lay out a number you can live with so we can get a better idea what is feasible. I've seen some really decent machines for what I thought were good prices, like the $1000-1500 range. You have to be patient and watch watch watch. These won't be perfect but so-called "players quality" can still be plenty good.

Sometimes maybe it is a matter of focus. I know plenty of people who buy themselves a $4 Starbucks every day. I probably have literally 10 times the money they have and I can barely stand buying one a month. I make my own coffee. Simple math - $4 a day is $120 a month is $1,440 a year. Make your own coffee for a year, buy yourself a pinball!

Another voice of “reason” here, echoing much of the above.

If you are “broke”, then my tip is simply “don’t buy yet”. Pinball is supposed to be FUN above all else; if it requires that you do ANYTHING to the detriment of youself or your family, it will strip some of the joy out of the experience and it won’t be worth it in the end (plus you’ll end up burning out on pinball, which is a little tragic - believe me, I’ve seen it in pinball and elsewhere).

Do not go into debt and do not forego other obligations or priorities either. Don’t sacrifice a needed home improvement expenditure or compromise your family’s vacation plans to save bucks for pinball, for example.

The fact that you took the time to write a well-worded question and seek advice here indicates that you are a mature, sensible person; as such, you probably experience some anxiety and second-guessing when you make potentially significant choices such as spending a chunk of cash on something nonessential - it’s simply in your nature to do the responsible thing. Therefore you’ll never really be happy with any pinball (or other hobby/toy) expenditure if you betray this and allow any weight to remain attached, such as financial debt or guilt due neglecting some other higher priority aspect of your life.

All that being said, there is some great practical strategies and advice in most of the posts above mine, any of which could lead to a game in your house with minimal risk or painful sacrifice. (Pinnyhead, vid, PinsideTroll, and xsvtoys in particular are 100% speaking the truth!)

be a player, not an owner
owning pinball macines is expensive, something always needs fixing

pay off your car loan

I just bought the games on the pinball arcade, much cheaper than one table. Someday you will be able to afford a real machine but you have to be realistic.

You just figured it out.

Resist buying other stuff, sell the stuff you no longer use or enjoy, pool together your goal amount, and buy yourself that pinball machine.

everyone is telling you the same thing, learn to save, THEN buy a game

Your going to have a hard time finding some sucker to take payments on a toy. I had a guy come over a few weeks ago from a Craigslist ad I posted for a $700 EM and after spending 2 hours playing all my other machines he says "will you take payments? I had no respect for the guy and threw him out. Advice- Save and buy your game.

Learn to love the cheap pin! Honestly, I enjoy early solid states the most. Maybe it's because they were the first pins I remember playing but I love their easy to learn, tough to complete rulesets. To me there have never been more perfect pins than Joker Poker, Eight Ball Deluxe, or Flash Gordon. Try to get to know this era of pin. You may be surprised. A lot of people like the bells and whistles of modern pins, but I think there's something to be said for the classic SS era.

The problem I have with this statement is the "perfect condition". I've never had a pin in perfect condition....or even slightly below that. That's for restored and high end collectors. Most of them do it for a keeper or a labor of love. Few sell for a profit.
Most of my pins came from fair deals on pins that needed some love. They got a little love and a little money put in them. On average I put only a couple hundred into post sales repair. Played them for a few years and in some cases made a little money on them at resale. None were anywhere near perfect.
It sounds like you already understand you will probably make little or no money on resale of your EM.

A wise man once told me to spend every dime on things that’ll make me happy. He said, “If you live to your last day being happy, and then the funeral home check bounces, you did it right”.

I started off by buying a cheap machine in a “3 pay month”, I get paid by-weekly, so a couple times a year I manage to find some extra cash. Same with tax season, I have deductions for work and always get back a grand or two. So I started with one cheap game and fixed it up. Then I bought a second machine, then a third. Over a couple of years I had a half dozen okay games.

Then I started selling them, or trading them 2 for 1. I built a MAME arcade; traded it for a pin. Eventually I had 3 decent games, but I wasn’t happy. They were all sold, I added more cash and bought New in box. Cash. Bought and paid for, it’s mine.

Along the way I learned a lot about pinball repair, and had games to play.

If having the money and spending it is really the issue, why not just give your "payment" to a good friend or family member to tuck away for you out of sight until you hit your goal?

You say you want one machine to enjoy, but that you also want a cheap T2 or something, and also to build a collection...which is it? I think you just need to decide which of these you really want and shoot for it. Is T2 your favorite game from back in the day and it's been your dream to own one? Make that the goal. It sounds like your goal is to own a pinball machine that costs around 3K and maybe flip it later.

I (personally) think you need to find out what will make you happy and you'll enjoy and shoot for that. Do you just want to own a pinball machine to say you have one, or is there one you really have your heart set on? Flipping games for a profit is a viable plan, but as you're currently experiencing, you need to do it smart and be able to move and store games while repairing them without getting upside down in them to actually make money. Are you able to repair games? Because anything you buy real cheap is going to need alot of work and time, otherwise you're going to be spending hours to make 50 bucks.

In summary, figure out what game you really want and save. Don't buy something just to say you have it. Pinball machines are awesome. Pinball machines you bought for the sake of buying and don't enjoy are not awesome.

VIRTUAL PINBALL

a lot of fun at minimal $$$
The Pinball Arcade is sweet.

Not so long ago, I found through the group someone who had a game that I could enjoy, but was at a time I didn't have funds.

I traded my time in pressure washing, some painting and gardening and earned the pin.

Perhaps you have some skills to trade?

Step 1: stop looking at pinside
Step 2: collect leaves

TNT amusements does layaway

The bigger issue sounds like you giving into temptation. If you really want a newer pinball machine you'll need to find a way to sock away enough of that disposable income to get one.

Set a price point goal. Get a piggy bank or something that you can put money into and not see it. Put a chart on your fridge like the charity drives do with a picture of your savings goal and color in a section each time you make a contribution. Not saying you have an entitled attitude -- I applaud you working thru the vehicle financing situation you find yourself in and making the best of it -- but so much of our society had given into the "you deserve it" form of advertising out there that no one knows how to save anymore.

Take $100. Go to your nearest place with a lot of pinballs. Spend the day there and get the pinball fix you are looking for. Way cheaper than buying a machine

Put back a bit of cash $500-$600. So you have a small bank of disposable cash. If you can stretch that to $1000-$1200 you are better off. Run constant ads on Craigslist "Wanted to buy Pinball Machines". Not only in your local city but cities up to 1.5 to 2 hours away. Keep the ads fresh, renew them often. WHEN someone calls you with a pin to sell. DO NOT DICK AROUND. Grab your cash and head that way immediately. No one "holds" a pinball machine until it is convenient for you to pick it up.

You need a vehicle that can haul them, a dolly and strong back because they will be in basements, etc.

You will be buying non-functional machines 95% of the time. Learn to repair them. Resell them on Craiglist for slightly more after you have repaired one. Your $300 pin can sell for $600-$700. Then like someone else said rinse and repeat.

Done right and with persistence, and hard work you will have very little perhaps nothing by flipping several machines in this manner.

You can make payments with Game Room Guys.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinballstar-pinball-financing-now-available-for-woz-hobbit-mmr

Joe will hook you up

I really think lower expectations are the way to go. If the EM you have isn't doing it for you, sell it to get a different one. Scratch up to a solid state game. Here are plenty of them that are a blast. Don't expect a Metallica or an AC/DC, work with a Stars or something. It takes a while to move up to the more popular games, so have fun along the way.

Lots of advice here and I apologize if it's been already said. You don't need to own a machine to enjoy pinball. Play on location! A few games only cost a few bucks.

Here's a website to get you started.

https://pinballmap.com

Where has this been all my life! Green Bay does have some Pinball!!

Lock the money your saving for this hobby away. If you want it bad enough you will let it build. I've been working really hard and building my budget for a MET Pro where I put the money away and let it grow. Once I got that game I started stashing away for TNA that is coming soon. I can say I would lack the discipline if that money was sitting in my checking or savings account and would have been tempted to do something else with it.

Pay cash for what you buy everyday. Coffee, smokes, beer, Mickey D's for lunch... whatever. Only use 5s or bigger bills. Pocket your ones and put them away in a drawer. They add up. Couple this with cashing in change you can build fun money faster than you'd think.

Real deal honest advice -- take the money you'd spend buying a pin and just play more at local arcades etc.

For years when I was stretching to buy a pin I realized I could spend 20-50 bucks over many weeks / months at local arcades and get a great experience without needing the capital to buy.

Man, I would not buy a pin unless you can pay cash and have plenty of extra money for emergencies or other expenses. It's completely silly to me to go into debt over a pin. Even when you get a pin, there can be a lot of expenses buying parts and fixing things. Get out and play pins on location. If you make decent money but just have a lot of expenses, get those expenses taken care of and then getting a pin shouldn't be a problem.

About 5 years ago, I did a part time job.....did the part time thing for a year and half.
I also reviewed my finances, and trimmed the fat where I could. I also made sure my vehicles were paid off first....once debt free, I would borrow a small loan from my bank here and there to get started. I went for system 11s. Kept my loans small....and gave me trading/selling funds to gain other pins. Make sure you protect your quarterback.....and dont get foolish being upside down in debt.

A lot of good stuff has already been said but I think be patient is the best one and getting debt paid off is second. For people in the pinball community, pinball machines will come along, you just need to be patient until it happens. Talk to people, and tell them you’re into pinball. Eventually someone will say they know someone that has one that just sits there and it could be yours. Most pinball people, including myself have an amazing deal story or a got it for free because they just needed it gone story. That will be you too but you just have to have faith and patience.

To save money, look at your monthly expenses and lower them. Have Internet? Call the provider and tell them you want it cheaper (I just did this with Comcast last week and saved $250 over the next 12 months). Call your TV provider. Call whomever - you'd be surprised how flexable they are. Put that money in your pinball fund.