Quoted from Pinstein:

Does anyone know how many Houdini's were produced? As people continue to flock to this hobby I think houdini prices will rebound. I'd certainly throw 5k at a houdini before a wh20 or fathom.

Quoted from Butch2099:

Poor Houdini can't even get bashed properly in it's own thread..
Every thread anymore turns into Stern vs JJP. Even a Houdini bash thread.
Houdini was a pretty game, my wife liked it, I couldn't stand the long animations. I could see it in a bigger collection at the right price.

Quoted from fosaisu:

Houdini's averaging about one mention per page in this thread. At least we've moved on from JJP v. Stern to a meta-analysis of the cargument.

Quoted from Billy16:

Now, what is this thread about again? What kind of car Houdini used to go to JJP to pick up his new Hobbit?

Quoted from JodyG:

AP also has a very rigid warranty period. Outside that period, you are SOL. Stern will often go outside their 60 day warranty on a case by case basis.

Quoted from Wolfmarsh:

Sorry, JJP isn't analogous to a BMW.
WoZ had many poor electrical engineering design decisions that actually made it to market.
Pirates had to have the cornerstone mech removed from the design because they couldn't figure out the engineering.
That is a vast difference from BMW having a team of engineers dedicated to just the sounds their cars make.

Quoted from hAbO:

I don't have a lot of time playing Houdini (and don't own it) but did play it a few times at shows. I consider myself a decent "player" although I don't play in tournaments. That being said there were at least 2 shots that were nearly impossible to hit reliably. It was like going to a carnival trying to knock all the milk bottles over. Speed ahead to this thread (2 years later) and its interesting to hear people talking about geometry.
RZ has a few weirdo "X" targets on the upper right that used in a few timed modes. 1 you can kinda-sorta hit but if its not perfect it bricks out. The other target is just not possible to hit with a flipper. You have to rely on a random sling to ricochet into it.
Super frustrating and I sold my RZ - not just for those targets but a plethora of other things.
My learning experience from this was not to pre-order or buy a new game from a new company. There's always a show to play these games prior to plopping down 7-large for the newest toy. If you buy new you will loose some money reselling down the road. No one expects to loose 2 grand on a game that is still in production.

Quoted from pinlawyer:

I had seven consecutive three-year leases on BMW convertibles, the last of which ended this month. In that period of time, I also BOUGHT two used BMWs, an M3 and a 645--both also convertibles. Given my profession, I have dozens of colleagues with BMWs and came to know many of these cars, as well. My take: BMWs are STELLAR during the first three years. BMWs are TERRIBLE during years 4-6 or 7. After that, they seem to settle down and become at least acceptable risks until their death at twenty years old, or more.

Quoted from pinballinreno:

But unfortunately, sometimes thats the way its done...

Quoted from wesman:

So you screwed yours all the way down? (Not to get too personal!)

Quoted from RTS:

You make a very valid point here.

Quoted from meSz:

You think it's the geometry? I've had the game few weeks now and feel its just the entrances to the loops/shots. When I look at my other games the loops and ramps have a wider opening at the mouth whereas Houdini doesn't. This makes for a harder shot (imo) as well as bounce outs (especially the Milk Can).
I actually like the game but certainly understand people's gripes with it. These "flaws" keep this game from being a great game!
Look forward to Oktoberfest and Houdini is not going anywhere as I still like it!

Quoted from PrinzFred:

Think back to the early 2000s when Stern was the sole supplier putting out fairly cheap, clip art games . . .
We can all complain and I am one of them . . .
Am I upset at Stern, that my home Star Wars LE does not have a real backglass, lighted side rails, etc. and board burned out due to a code update, my Star Wars Premium looks weak next to the Star Trek Premium by its side in my arcade, Ghostbusters has unfinished code, Iron Maiden / Batman Coil Stops needed to be replaced after a few thousand plays because they are crappy . . .
Or at Jersey Jack because my Wizard of Oz sat in the back of the arcade waiting for parts weeks on end or the POTC CE has had more issues (auto fire, broken springs, etc.) than you can shake a stick at . . .
Am I disappointed that my Houdini is worth less than I paid for it? Not really . . .
My point is that a rising tide raises all ships. We now have multiple suppliers each pushing each other to do great things.
I purchased Houdini, because I loved that AP (Josh) was the only vendor really present at the Denver Show that was willing to interact with the public. I loved that they interacted on pinside with code / repair issues. Have I had a few challenges out of the box or been frustrated with the game? Sure. But, it is a beautiful game with great powder coat, toys, challenge, light show, code, etc.
I also took the challenge that "the game is too tough". I feel I'm a better than average player and felt that learning to make tight shots would make me a better player (it has). There are tons of ways to play this game and it is loads of fun. I sold my Theatre of Magic (got bored fast) for this game and do not regret it all.
Perhaps I could have waited and purchased a 2nd hand one cheaper. Buy as a collector and arcade operator, I'm happy to support a company pushing the limits and trying new things. Long live Pinball

Quoted from drfrightner:

You want to talk nose dive... look at the people asking for $18,000 for a cactus canyon. When Chicago comes out with this game sometime THIS YEAR, then you'll see the real nose dive.
3 Months ago people still asked over 10k for their original Monster Bash's now you can't sell those for 5 or 6. Consider CC code wasn't really complete and the new game will probably have better code, color screen, wider screen, what do you think is going to happen to the value of the originals?
Can we say NOSE DIVE? I'm think original CC will end up in the 5k range.