Wow, well first off, welcome to the hobby! I'm always excited to see new people enter the fray of pinball ownership. That STTNG is a fantastic deal if it is truly in good working order. You said that your dad was in to pinball. If he owns/works on pins, make sure you both look at it to make sure that everything is in working order and that there are no issues that are difficult to fix (planking on the playfield etc.). Good luck with your purchase. You have much more fortitude than I did when I was 13. I never would have been able to save that much without spending it!

Wow, that TAF is another nice find. Apparently the Texas market for pins is pretty sweet! If you've never played Addam's Family, you owe it to yourself to give this game a try. There is a reason that it is consistently right towards the top of the best pins ever produced. Pat Lawlor did a great job with this. Tons of cool and unique modes, a great multiball (with the best build up sounds to multiball ever imo), difficult and varied shots... This pin really has it all. Plus, if you want to go that route, there are tons of mods available for TAF. Assuming the playfield is in good condition and the game plays well with no (or few) diagnostic errors, this could be a great first game that I believe really should hold its value. 5k (or less) would be a pretty sweet bargain on this pin.

I am one of the few apologists for SF2, but that may be because it was one of the first pins I played and really understood since I had a frame of reference (The games, obviously). Despite it being pretty universally reviled, I still have some fun with it.

I have to say, I'm pretty jealous. I've been wanting to get the entire John Popadiuk (sp?) lineup for a long time. TOM is a fantastic game and one that you'll have tons of fun with for a LOOONG time to come. Congrats on your first purchase. Check out the aforementioned TOM club thread. Plenty of good reading and tons of people who will be more than willing to help out with any issues you run into.