Quoted from Mitch:Because were are not all rich. I'd love a big lebowski it's my dream theme. I have big lebowski shirts and merch, I even have a big lebowski duvet cover on my bed but that doesn't mean I have 20k plus to spend on a single pinball machine. That's half a years net salary to me, more then I've ever spent on a car.
Especially when there isnt any support for the game or spare parts being made.
Unfortunately, that's the current reality if you want one. There's not much you can do to change it.
Would I like to own a TBL? Sure! Would I want to pay $15k-$20k? Oh heck no. I wasn't even interested in the original sticker price.
Rare games, and especially desirable ones, will command a high price. There are several rare games that I'd like to own, but the price is just usually too high for me to justify. King Kong, Goin Nuts, Krull, Loch Ness Monster, Lazer Lord, Big Foot, Road Runner, Pinball Circus, Wrath of Olympus, Kingpin, Verne's World, Varkon, and so on.
So, TBL owners who want to sell can ask those sort of high prices and find someone who is perfectly happy to pay it. Same goes for Alien. I bet someone would pay a healthy sum for a Predator too.