Quoted from PrinzFred:

I realize it is one data point, but on location we have a POTC CE with more issues than I can count (Ball Kicker had to be replaced, chest forks getting bent not working, flipper coil under ship lost hold power, almost all rubbers needed to be replaced in short order, ramps tightened down on pops that should spin so they wouldn't, slingshot hammers continuously coming out or balls getting stuck under slings, Playfield cracking around scoops, . . . Unless you really know what you are doing or happy making numerous fixes out of the box, I would stay away. People have also gotten bored of the game quick (i.e. not earning). We had a WOZ and parts similarly took forever . . . Also if JJP holds true to form they will just come out with a new more expensive pirates with functions stripped down.
We have had good success with Stern and Chicago Gaming out of the box.
If you are really looking for something to hold its value, just buy a used game of recent vintage and let someone else take the depreciation. If you hunt long enough, you can still buy and sell used games at about the same value.

Quoted from f3honda4me:

Sterns don’t break because there’s nothing in them to break.

Quoted from f3honda4me:

It’s a joke, to illustrate how ridiculous the anti JJP crowd is. :p

Quoted from f3honda4me:

It’s a super old forum name I use. I owned an F3 as a young lad. I’m not anti stern at all. I own and buy them all the time.

Quoted from f3honda4me:

Because of my parents operating pins at an arcade I’m used to changing pins often. After that, starting in 2004, I had been buying pins off and on over the year. But now that we live in a home that could fit potentially 10 or more pins, that old habit came back quickly, so I’ve been buying and selling pins with greater frequency like we used to at the arcade. Old habits die hard I guess. :p

Quoted from djxealot:

There are two other differences. LE provides RBG GI - SE only has white GI. I don't mind that, because the white provides better visibility IMHO. But that is not easily added as a mod; I did look into it out of curiosity. JJP uses tiny printed circuit boards with LEDs for the GI, and for the RGB ones, there are 4 wires (power + RGB signal) from the node boards, per LED. For the white, only two (power only). To add RGB GI you would need the PCBs for them - JJP doesn't sell them presently, AFAIK - and you would need to wire the extra two wires per light to the node boards. No interest in doing that.
The other, of course, is the motorized spinning bumper. This is the one feature from the LE that I want on my SE, and I am currently investigating how to do this. I ordered a Jack Sparrow series 1 figure ($20 ebay score) and a pop bumper cap ($20) from The Mod Couple (picked up the monkey and a second cap too), which I will make into the barrel cover top. I machined a small bracket to hold the figure on the barrel cover. But I need to find a cheap hobby motor I can piggyback off the pop bumper - since JJP doesn't sell this motor either. It will take some time to find, but if I do it I will document it for other SE owners. If I can do it for less than $75 altogether, it will be worth it.
Agree that the topper for the LE is "meh" (CE topper is great, but waaaaay too pricey). Don't care about invisiglass - some will disagree with me on this. Black powder coat vs. brushed stainless - I really don't care. Either is fine. My Sterns have all been powder coat, my Williams all stainless - don't care. Shaker motor is nice, but can do without. Starfield is "meh".
When I say LE is better value, I mean that you can tally up all the stuff JJP gives LE owners and it really adds up to that price difference - and then some. This is very different from Stern, where sometimes it's hard to see where the money for the Premium/LEs went. If you don't want that stuff, then SE is for you.

Quoted from djxealot:

The lighting on the SE is fine. Inserts are still RGB. And spots are white on both SE and LE/CE. Only something like a dozen or so bulbs are white GI. It's not a big deal.
It's also something you could probably mod if you wanted to in the future. Game code is the same across models, and the bulbs are tiny little PCBs. White GI has a connector with 2 wires. RGB inserts use 4 wires. Presumably, the additional 2 wires are for the RGB signal. The first two merely control brightness. The node boards still have spots for the additional two wires.
Long story short, if you bought the RGB LEDs and added two wires to each run, you'd have full RGB lighting if you wanted it. That being said, I kind of prefer the white GI. It's a bit brighter and easier to see.

Quoted from CrazyLevi:

It's always kind of silly doing these types of comparisons.
Do you want a fast pro game with easier to understand rulesets, refined action, and a theme that is more likely to resonate with you? Go for a Stern.
You want a large, heavy, complicated, deep, toy and-gimmick-laden experience that might wow somebody who hasn't played a pinball machine in 20 years or ever? Right this way, I've got a pirates for you.
I think a lot of home game room folks - especially those who are maybe looking to impress/capture friends/family/kids (ie: people who don't really like pinball) will gravitate towards something like Pirates. If you value gameplay and tournament-style rules and goals, you are probably better off with a Stern.
More of a middle ground are JJP games like Wonka and Dialed In.
From the OP's opener and following posts, seems like Pirates is the only answer. He doesn't sound like the type who will be impressed by a deadpool on a spring, but a huge LCD, rocking boat, and a button you pound 900 times a game might be just what the Dr. ordered. WHenever someone starts out by noting the "low quality" of Sterns you know they want to spend more money and get more "stuff" with a JJP.

Quoted from Vino:

I like JJP but they have nothing to do with BM66.
It has everything to do with Lyman raising his own game around rules and theme integration.

Quoted from Vino:

Thank goodness.
Without LCD integration we were stuck with games like LOTR, TSPP, MET, ACDC, and TWD.