It seems good condition versions of classics (whitewater, getaway) are edging close to the price of modern sterns NIB. I want to buy my first pin, and am trying to figure out which route to go. I expect it will be my only pin for at least a year, so I do want to make sure it's something I can play for a while. Are newer generally always better in terms of depth and home use? Are the older classics just fundamentally good games that have staying power on their own? In particular, I'm deciding between something like whitewater or getaway on one hand, or deadpool or ghostbusters on the other (since I need to sell the wife, theme is a factor and iron maiden is out).

I know a lot of people say get a cheaper older DMD game to start, but the good ones are edging into modern pricing. So any thoughts on which route to go, if pricing is essentially the same?

Thanks all for the great advice. The different perspectives and explanations here were exactly what I was looking for, and would be helpful to anyone getting into the hobby.

I took the advice of many and got out to play a ton of pinball in the last couple weeks. After some play, I decided my first (and, for a while, only) home machine should be a newer machine, and Iron man, LOTR, GotG, and Deadpool were all candidates. In the end, I'll be going with Deadpool, as it has the right mix of gameplay, theme, and family appeal for me right now. That said, I already see how having a little variety would be good, and I expect I'll be on the lookout for a deal on an older (maybe less popular given current prices) DMD to add at some point.