LOL, I encountered almost every one of those points on my first restoration, except for #1 as the machine was up and running when I went to buy it.

I would also add to those points:

11. Do research on the machine you're buying, or you'll end up with a machine where the backglass and/or playfield need to be replaced, and neither one can EVER be found on the Internet in new condition.

12. Be prepared to correct design flaws with modifications.

Good advice! You should do a 3rd part on modern solid state games that have dot matrix displays. Explain about checking to see if the display is "outgassing" and needs to be replaced, talk about the 3 major sizes of DMD displays and how the big ones used in games like Maverick are very expensive to replace, talk about how the popularity of the game has a huge impact on the ability to get replacement parts and general restoration, talk about the cabinet art and whether or not vinyl or stencil jobs can be done on it, talk about topper art that may or may not be missing or needing to be replaced if possible, etc.

Yep, my first pin almost immediately started failing on multiple issues. I had to replace the DMD and the Power Supply Board within just a few hours of play time. Since I wanted to restore the machine anyway, it wasn't a big issue, but those two parts alone were $300 in total.