Quoted from HydrogenHuman:My thinking is I don't want to have my first machine break the bank and have a high cost ceiling to it. I feel like that's a foolish beginner mistake to make, and I'm better off purchasing a more bang for buck budget machines that I can enjoy and can lure me into purchasing more elaborate machines down the road.
Only foolish thing is overpaying like I did on my first pin. In general, classic pins don't lose value and go up over time. I recommend finding a game you can afford that you know you like. That might mean spending a little more money but worth it in the end to have something you enjoy. Plenty of cheap games out there but they are cheap for a reason. You can build a collection faster with cheap games but quality better than quantity imo.