I don't like when people take older games from the 90s and powder coat the wire ramps. I'd rather have the game look as it was originally designed. Some of the powder coating decisions for the legs and rails are questionable at times.

I’m not paying extra for mods, so just depends on the price.

I don't mind any mods as long as they're easily reversible!

I’ve seen games for sale that state “ I have over 2k in Mods” Ok, no one asked you to do that but to each his own.

A TON of people are buying pinstadiums, colordmd’s , pinwoofer, powder coat, anti-reflective glass, speaker lights and trinkets - and of course toppers. And they sell like hotcakes when sold used at a minor discount. So there is zero problem selling heavily modded machines for most or all of the cost. Something for everyone, but taking a position that well done mods (not glued on action figures or crappy 3D printed stuff) are not worth anything when buying a machine is kinda ridiculous these days.

The more blue and purple LEDs in a game the better!

There are tasteful mods. #1 Color DMD, #2 Shaker, #3 A Good Topper, #4 Anti Glare Glass, #5 Tasteful Armor etc... The bottom line is you have to decide what mods are worth paying extra for. No different than selecting an LE over a Base game. I agree that I am most likely to buy a Base game and install my own mods. But some folks do not want to install anything themselves so they want a loaded machine.

Cheap.

Agree in some cases. Definitely a personal choice. I've seen some color choices recently that I think are disgusting and others think are beautiful.

Maybe I just noticed it recently, but seems like a lot of the people flipping a lot of games are attempting to justify their big price increases on the flip by adding a few cheesy mods… which to me is nearly the textbook definition of lipstick on a pig.

Cheap and broken. I find it more enjoyable to fix them and bring them back to life. And I am cheap.

I have no set answer to this. It all depends on the particular game and the mods that have been added.

I like to mod/upgrade my games and have no issue with paying for quality additions in games that I buy. I also don't mind buying bare bones games and having the ability to then upgrade them as I wish. It's all price negotiable.

Working

If it is not a ColorDMD or a very well designed mod like pinsider thompso9 CFTBL speaker mod, you can keep it. You'll be paying me to remove cheap ass shit (read: I'll be asking for the pin cheaper than what you want to sell it for).

No rainbow Puke...even when you say, it's "tastefully done".

Pinball Mods can be good or bad. If they are ones I like, I would say the more the merrier. Of course, one could take off the other ones as well.

You're in luck these days!

I'm not paying for your glued on dolls.

I like them working.

Rather than modded, I would much prefer restored to original condition / appearance with some exceptions.

Sometimes working sometimes broken with prices these days

This. And I don't mind broken. I've seen a lot of people tend to throw expensive boards at a problem, rather than trying to figure out the issue, which would result in a $5 repair, rather than a $200-$300 repair. So, I don't want to pay for someone's $200-$300 repair baked into the price of the game.

I don't particularly care much about most mods. Some people tend to go way overboard.

Some can be nice enhancements, but I always prefer mods that are easily reversible.

Is colordmd really a mod at this point? Or more of an enhancement?

There are mods that add value and as such can add $ when the game is sold:
Color DMD. Non-reflective glass. Brass, Black, Chrome, SS or OEM upgrade armor. Shaker. Possibly a topper (you can always sell it separately if need be).
Then there are mods that might be nice but just don't add any value (sellers should not expect to recuperate the cost of these mods). These mods can also clutter a game very quickly thus creating a "heavily-modded" game.
Personally I would rather mod the game myself. I have bought games in the past that I had to strip a bunch of the mods off because it was just too much....at least for me.

“Over 2k in mods. Too many to list.”

To a degree I prefer them that way because I enjoy the repair process. I have a few recent Stern pins and enjoy them but bringing one back from the dead or building from scratch is more my speed.

It depends on the mod. Things like color Dmds, very well done mods (like Medisynl, art of pinball, and etc), toppers, mirrored backglass, anti-reflective glass, and for some people chrome…. I think brings some value.

However…. Most mods are like trinkets, and if anything make the game look worse.

I immedialty stop reading/looking at the ad.

If by playfield mods you mean cheap 3D printed stuff, crappy led jobs, matchbox cars and action figures then I agree very few want. But disagree that quality playfield mods aren’t in high demand. Just look at the huge wait lists for well done Godzilla mods, and the majority of Spooky and JJP games sold are higher end models with no gameplay differences and a lot of molded playfield stuff.

Seems like the clear majority of home collectors actually want “modded machines” as long as they are OEM quality/design. And the quality of some of the stuff currently being put out by talented people on here is pretty amazing - much better than the largest 3D printed mod supplier.

They are even better than what Stern puts on their LEs. Look at atomic Godzilla or oracle and sarcophagus for imdn. I would pay for those on a second hand game. Or if the buyer doesn’t want them they can easily be sold separate.

Totally agree with you, but when some premiums are going for $12-15k people are able to pump up pros to $10k. I just traded a nicely modded STh pro for $9k value and the guy took off the topper and flipped it 2 days later for $9.5k. Crazy.

As i think that pinball peaked in 1992, I want my games with a little wear, but otherwise complete
I like colorDMD, but I don't play powder coated side rails

One is a mod that takes care of factory issues, especially if not in production anymore. For instance an EnerGI Maestro on a DE/Sega machine is a must have mod, but they don't get made often.

Price is most important, but as has been stated, if the mods have a resale value (ColorDMD, PinSound), then there’s some justification to the price. But overall it just comes Down to how badly you want to take home that machine. It’s harder to find deals and indeed even games at ALL at a decent price lately

I stop reading and look at the pics.
It's like driving past a traffic accident, you have to look.

I like them fresh off route complete with creative operator craftsmanship. Love bringing these back to life.

My least favorite is from a home user or hobbiest with little to no skill for repair that has placed cheap LEDs throughout and not even taken the time to clean the inserts.

Regardless what Levi says, the Euro container units have been by far the most interesting.

Hack city!