Out of the two? Road trip!
You potentially get a chance to play a ton of machines you haven't played before, you know they are set up and hopefully dialed in and maintained!

Opening a NIB is fun, but after ten minutes when it's open and set up, it's not NIB any more so it's just like any other new machine.

Oh, and personally with me, NIB always has a slight nail-biting quality wondering if everything will work and wondering how much it will take to get a machine dialed in...

That can be good...or bad

I remember getting all 6 of my machines. Took a different person w/me each time. Always fun to meet other pinheads and travel a little. Good memories. Just picked up a 78 Strikes and Spares last Sunday that was a 2 1/2 hr drive away. Worth it though....................will probably never have a NIB experience...............

What game will it be? Pictures!

Road Trip!

Meet new (like minded) people. Usually a good time......unless you're buying of Craigslist......then NIB!

A road trip to get a machine is one of my favorite things! I cant even describe how much I love looking in the rearview on the way home and seeing a new to me machine... Here is a pic of my last road trip thru the red woods to pick up my METLE image-219.jpg

When I first started in the hobby (and was much younger), road trip hands down! New sights, warehouse finds, games that sat untouched for years, meeting new folks that loved pinball.

Now - NIB. All the fun gets delivered straight to your door ...

So wait...OP, do you mean a road trip to play pinball, or a road trip to pick up a machine?

I drove 1300km once for a Golden eye, granted the guy was selling it for $1200 CDN. Was it worth the trip..yes.....was it fun...no. Did I enjoy the game...not really.....did the guy who bought it from me like it....yes... did I make some money yes....... I'm just confused..what's the thread title again....

To me the best part of collecting is the hunt.

Countless hours scouring the internet, talking to other collectors to find that perfect game. Getting in the vehicle and driving for hours, excited, eating crappy food, seeing the sights and not wanting to stop to pee. Getting lost and eventually arriving at the guys door, traipsing down into the basement to look at the game with a flashlight. Carefully hauling it up the stairs, thru the kitchen into the garage and into the truck the whole time talking about how you got into the hobby and how long you've been collecting. I have made some good friends by going to meet the seller to pick up a game. Then driving home looking at the pinball machine in the back of the vehicle obstructing my view of the road behind me. Listening to the machine rattle and clank over every bump on the way home in anticipation of getting it set up. Priceless.

Or just ordering a game off a website and waiting for the delivery guy to show up.

Ummmm...road trip!

Well, road trip should win a poll (you can still add it !).
except I am patiently waiting for my first NIB (a 2.5 yr-wait!) so allow me to be excited about it.

Road trip.

Opening a NIB pin is great. Smell of new wood. Fresh paint. Unless you've done it a lot. Road trip can be an adventure.

LTG : )™

Both great experiences but a roadtrip can provide some fantastic memories. It also makes it more difficult to part with the pin later, at least for me. Congrats on your acquisition. We live so close but have never met....if you ever need help just holler out.

Road trip for me! Like others have said in this post, taking a friend with you, the anticipation of getting it your house and setting it up, meeting new people, sitting in the car eating corn nuts, drinking pop and talking pinball the whole way, creating memories. I’ve gone on many road trips and each one is great! The farthest I've gone was to from Des Moines, IA to Denver, CO. Great times!

Very cool. Congrats.

The classic unshopped buy from non-pinheads with only that machine, no lock, and coindoor banging back and forth the whole trip because, yet again, you forgot to do something about that...