Hi, I just thought I would add my thoughts as a newbie...
I bought my first pin a couple of months ago, The Shadow. Very tight budget, NIB out of the question.

One thing I didn't bargain for was the enjoyment I would get from the machine.... by repairing it!
It was a very good deal and played great when I viewed it.

Since then its had new stand up targets, opto's, switches, stuck flippers fixed, a good clean, bulbs changed, lots of soldering and general maintenance and trouble shooting.

Touch wood it is now playing great, and the feeling of fixing things and knowing the real inner workings of the machine has endeared me to it more than I think a NIB ever would.

Bottom line, if you like the feeling of achievement by fixing things, an older pin will deliver!

For your budget, you could get 2 well sorted pins anyway and maybe not have to do much repairing. I had to get the pin I did purely through how expensive they are over here. But I wouldn't change a thing, its been a brilliant experience and Pinside has helped immensely.

Either way, I envy you and your first pin choice!