(Topic ID: 225798)

New pinball machines: are they worth the money?

By snowy_owl

5 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 94 posts
  • 64 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by jkleinnd
  • No one calls this topic a favorite

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    Capture3 (resized).JPG
    Capture2 (resized).JPG
    Capture (resized).JPG

    There are 94 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.
    #51 5 years ago

    Really depends on the title and location where they are put.

    After a couple months of owning METLE and BM66 I felt like I had bought a couple of overpriced boat anchors.

    However the guy that bought the BM66 put it in a brewery where people get drunk and don't have to look at it when they get home, and it's got real good coin drop there.

    As far as my TNA, it's worth every dime to me.

    #52 5 years ago
    Quoted from jgentry:

    Lol, stern pros might be the only nib games that offer anything close to value.

    They just don't do it for me, Sorry.

    #53 5 years ago

    We're funny... how we rationalize these prices for ourselves. Pinball machine "collecting" lost its luster as a hobby 5 years ago around the time of Tron, Spider-Man and WOZ. Paying retail for new pins- and market value for used pins- is now just plain old consumer purchasing of entertainment equipment. So, because I have a few hi def tv's around the house, does that make me a TV hobbyist?

    Not that it matters what we call it, but I hear the term "hobby" still being used, like we're fun and quirky stamp collectors, or quilters. Are spouses still buying this argument? ... Or its even more laughable close cousin, the "investment" justification?

    #54 5 years ago

    You only live once, just spend your money and buy some pinball machines if you are addicted like me. What we going to do with all our money when we die anyways?

    #55 5 years ago
    Quoted from jkleinnd:

    We're funny... how we rationalize these prices for ourselves. Pinball machine "collecting" lost its luster as a hobby 5 years ago around the time of Tron, Spider-Man and WOZ. Paying retail for new pins- and market value for used pins- is now just plain old consumer purchasing of entertainment equipment. So, because I have a few hi def tv's around the house, does that make me a TV hobbyist?
    Not that it matters what we call it, but I hear the term "hobby" still being used, like we're fun and quirky stamp collectors, or quilters. Are spouses still buying this argument? ... Or its even more laughable close cousin, the "investment" justification?

    "hob·by1
    ˈhäbē
    noun
    1.
    an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure."

    definitely a hobby...

    #56 5 years ago

    Okay.... then so is watching TV, drinking Starbucks, interacting with a pinball forum, and sex.

    #57 5 years ago
    Quoted from Oneangrymo:

    You only live once, just spend your money and buy some pinball machines if you are addicted like me. What we going to do with all our money when we die anyways?

    Amen brother!

    But I just bought a U haul trailer though so they can carry my pins behind the hearse when I die

    #58 5 years ago

    How about the old joke about being buried in your favorite pin? Which one?
    ( I should start a thread... not!)

    #59 5 years ago
    Quoted from jkleinnd:

    How about the old joke about being buried in your favorite pin? Which one?
    ( I should start a thread... not!)

    Thats my New Business! Pin Coffins!

    #60 5 years ago

    Pins are worth as much or more satisfaction, fun factor and overall feel good return on your $$ than any other hobby I’ve been a part of

    If you don’t spend your $$$ your kids will eventually, just remember that!

    I have some of the biggest penny pincher clients you’ve ever seen in their 70’s and 80’s.

    I ask em, “Why do you not spend some of those millions”?

    Answer, “might need that $$ some day”

    Reply, “the clock is ticking brother and your wife is going to remarry when you die, new hubby gonna spend it, and your kids are already putting a deposit down on the Ferrari so get busy living while you can still physically spend it”!

    #61 5 years ago
    Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

    Thats my New Business! Pin Coffins!

    I want my coffin cleared by anybody but Stern.

    And need some bolt protectors Art. Can’t have my coffin cab splitting on me

    #62 5 years ago

    Why are we not asking if old ass played to death games are worth the money?

    The prices of old games are just as insane if not more insane then nib games.

    You can have this NIB or a beat to death IJ that is missing parts and needs a full restore.

    #63 5 years ago
    Quoted from jkleinnd:

    We're funny... how we rationalize these prices for ourselves. Pinball machine "collecting" lost its luster as a hobby 5 years ago around the time of Tron, Spider-Man and WOZ. Paying retail for new pins- and market value for used pins- is now just plain old consumer purchasing of entertainment equipment. So, because I have a few hi def tv's around the house, does that make me a TV hobbyist?
    Not that it matters what we call it, but I hear the term "hobby" still being used, like we're fun and quirky stamp collectors, or quilters. Are spouses still buying this argument? ... Or its even more laughable close cousin, the "investment" justification?

    I can just imagine how fun you are to talk too.

    So you own a lot of pinball machines?

    Yes, 21.

    That's a pretty cool hobby.

    It's not a hobby, I own a couple of TVs, do you call TV a hobby, I drive to work, do you call driving a hobby, arrrrhhhhh.

    #64 5 years ago
    Quoted from iceman44:

    OP Kaneda Owl resurfacing again?

    Dammit Ice! I got baited into a thread! Again! Hoping it’s not Kaaaaneeeeedddd. Ah.

    #65 5 years ago
    Quoted from jgentry:

    I can just imagine how fun you are to talk too.
    So you own a lot of pinball machines?
    Yes, 21.
    That's a pretty cool hobby.
    It's not a hobby, I own a couple of TVs, do you call TV a hobby, I drive to work, do you call driving a hobby, arrrrhhhhh.

    I’m into an Air hobby. Been breathing it my whole life.

    Yeah, seems he’s breaking it down too much there.

    #66 5 years ago
    Quoted from iceman44:

    Amen brother!
    But I just bought a U haul trailer though so they can carry my pins behind the hearse when I die

    Looking at your line up, you'll have grave robbers following you to the cemetery.

    #67 5 years ago
    Quoted from mbwalker:

    Looking at your line up, you'll have grave robbers following you to the cemetery.

    I'm sure Pinside will be taking advantage of my wife and kids when i die!

    Shit, I'm gonna leave specific instructions attached to my Trust on how to deal with the pins if i go first.

    Hmmm, who can i trust to unload these boxes?

    #68 5 years ago

    No. They are overpriced. But what isn’t. Look at car prices!!

    #69 5 years ago

    Stern pros yes. Premium and les no. Jersey jack no.

    #70 5 years ago
    Quoted from InfiniteLives:

    "hob·by1
    ˈhäbē
    noun
    1.
    an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure."
    definitely a hobby...

    Wait a minute, so what ive been doing with my left hand all these years is a hobby?

    #71 5 years ago

    I don’t want to be the richest corpse in the cemetery. Money comes and goes, so I prefer to spend it to buy stuff that makes me happy & brings fun to me & my family. The anticipation of saving up & getting a pinball machine is priceless

    #72 5 years ago
    Quoted from billyboy:

    There’s something to be said about the anticipation of a NIB pin showing up and an ice cold beer sitting on the table while you do the initial set up.

    I get the same feeling after a total restore and about to hit the switch. Add in the feeling of apprehension wondering if you got everything right. Only difference is about $5000.

    #73 5 years ago
    Quoted from Travish:

    I get the same feeling after a total restore and about to hit the switch. Add in the feeling of apprehension wondering if you got everything right. Only difference is about $5000.

    Your restores happen magically for free? All the tools, parts, space to do it and time to do the restore have no value? I have had some older pins that I have done work on (nothing approaching a full restore though), and got satisfaction out of getting a couple of machines back up and working, but I don't have time, space, tools to make it a major part of my pinball past time.

    Add in lack of decently priced used machines (project or otherwise) in my area, the cost of buying and shipping parts up here, and suddenly buying a NIB, having it shipped to my door, playing the crap out of it and selling it and getting 80% or more of the value back makes more sense to me, so to me it is worth it. Other opinions may vary.

    #74 5 years ago
    Quoted from jgentry:

    Why are we not asking if old ass played to death games are worth the money?
    The prices of old games are just as insane if not more insane then nib games.
    You can have this NIB or a beat to death IJ that is missing parts and needs a full restore.

    Exactly. If you're going to spend the big bucks might as well get something new, or at least restored.

    #75 5 years ago

    Stern pro Chicago Gaming classic worth the money all others overpriced JJP CE edition for the stupid only

    #76 5 years ago

    YOLO
    No regrets on my KISS and IRON MAIDEN bought NIB. I nickel and dime little extras here and there, and they see little action, but when they do its money well spent.

    #77 5 years ago

    To me, not worth it. From an entertainment standpoint, I get way more hours of entertainment per dollar spent out of a top-end gaming PC and VR setup. It's not even close, not even a little.

    I will concede that almost every new game is on location within 15 minutes of where I live (yeah, I'm lucky that way for sure), so why would I spend that kind of money to own something I can play without having to own it? I could see things would be different if I didn't have access to good locations.

    #78 5 years ago
    Quoted from InfiniteLives:

    I'm lucky to live in an area with tons of location pinball so now I'd rather buy stuff I can't play anywhere else .
    I can play dead pool at 9 places within an hour drive . Iron Maiden probably about the same if not more. 3 or 4 TNAs . Most in 15 min drive.
    Life is good

    I envy you, man.

    #79 5 years ago

    I mean, not really - if you’re evaluating based on resale. If you’re evaluating on how much money you are willing to spend to have fun, vs going to the bar, or the amusement park or buying a new video game.. is it more fun than the next Dragon Quest game? Yes probably. Is it more exciting? No question. Is it as “deep”? Hell, no. Only you can answer

    #80 5 years ago
    Quoted from paul_8788:

    Your restores happen magically for free? All the tools, parts, space to do it and time to do the restore have no value? I have had some older pins that I have done work on (nothing approaching a full restore though), and got satisfaction out of getting a couple of machines back up and working, but I don't have time, space, tools to make it a major part of my pinball past time.
    Add in lack of decently priced used machines (project or otherwise) in my area, the cost of buying and shipping parts up here, and suddenly buying a NIB, having it shipped to my door, playing the crap out of it and selling it and getting 80% or more of the value back makes more sense to me, so to me it is worth it. Other opinions may vary.

    No they don't happen for free. I buy machine titles I like (mostly late 70's - early 80's) and spend way more than I should. New playfields, plastics, backglass and pretty much every screw. In the end I have a brand new 40 year old machine that I like and yes I have $2500~$3000 in a machine that most people wouldn't pay that much for. It's still $5000 less than a new game that I really don't like.

    Some people just don't enjoy the rebuild restore part but that is part of the fun for me.

    #81 5 years ago
    Quoted from Travish:

    No they don't happen for free. I buy machine titles I like (mostly late 70's - early 80's) and spend way more than I should. New playfields, plastics, backglass and pretty much every screw. In the end I have a brand new 40 year old machine that I like and yes I have $2500~$3000 in a machine that most people wouldn't pay that much for. It's still $5000 less than a new game that I really don't like.
    Some people just don't enjoy the rebuild restore part but that is part of the fun for me.

    I enjoy the restore/rebuild part quite a bit but it is getting VERY hard to find games that actually need to be worked on for a reasonable price

    #82 5 years ago
    Quoted from neurokinetik:

    so why would I spend that kind of money to own something I can play without having to own it? I could see things would be different if I didn't have access to good locations.

    Its pretty rare and in my experience hasn't happened ever where an on site pin is as a good an experience as when you play it in the home, owning it is part of that but sound, surroundings, lighting, no one standing beside ya etc. is that worth the money? to me 100% but if you are cool playing games at bars or arcades then of course save ur cash. What you don't know will cost you a lot, believe me.

    #83 5 years ago

    I love collecting pinball machines. The funnest part is trying to get them into the house without the wife finding out, then setting them up. I dont enjoy repairs, but once it is repaired... I feel like Im smart for maybe 10-15 mins.

    I like playing at home rather than an arcade tho. I can't hear jack crap at an arcade.. no call outs/music..there is too much ruckus.

    #84 5 years ago

    When I was just getting started in the hobby 5-6 years ago you could find some solid 90s era games in the $1,500 price range. You could buy three machines for the cost of a NIB. So that's what I chose to do. Since that time, those used games have doubled or tripled in value. NIB have also gone up, but not to the same extent. I guess what I'm saying is it makes more sense to me to buy NIB now, then it did a few years back. Having said that, I still think you're better off waiting a few years and buying a game when people are looking for the next big thing. It's not even about the money. When a game just comes out, especially with Stern, you don't really know where the games going with coding. Could be solid, or it could be left unfinished for years. I also think you get a better sense of how the game will really hold up after the honeymoon period starts to fade. So many games seem to start out as "the next big thing", but then as people play it more, you start to get a sense of what it really is.

    Most new games follow this pattern:
    Capture (resized).JPGCapture (resized).JPG
    Capture2 (resized).JPGCapture2 (resized).JPG

    ...but every once in awhile, you get a game like this:
    Capture3 (resized).JPGCapture3 (resized).JPG

    PS: I don't really care about what others think of the game. I'm just saying, don't get caught up in the hype that seems to happen with every NIB release.

    #85 5 years ago

    Big recession coming. Factor that in soon.

    #86 5 years ago

    New games aren’t worth it anymore. They’re too expensive, and they don’t have the cohesive gameplay design & magic of the previous generation of games. They all feel a little experimental, a little amateur, yet are charging $8k+ for full featured models. I still think I could be moved to buy a new game if something just blew me away, but I just don’t see that happening...pinballs best days are in the past, and all those games still exist, so I’ll just play those.

    Quoted from Multiballmaniac1:

    Big recession coming. Factor that in soon.

    The last one didn’t affect the hobby/classic games market at all - in fact, the prices kept going up...but it almost destroyed Stern - and that’s when they’re games were less than $4k NIB.

    #87 5 years ago
    Quoted from Multiballmaniac1:

    Big recession coming. Factor that in soon.

    Just like another plague ? Right around the corner ?

    #88 5 years ago

    I have a WOZ, and I must say I've never ever put 9.000$ to a better use when it comes to adult toys. The build quality is remarkable, there is a lot of parts, graphic works, music works, toys. Compared to what new pinball cost in the 90's, factoring in the inflation and a less industrial approach due to lower volumes, I find it actually impressive that this game doesn't cost more.

    I wouldn't say the same for all the recent pinballs, I still can't figure out why a TNA costs 7.500$, from a build perspective there isn't much on it, same goes with some Stern that still feel like toys to me, an issue I've always had with Stern machines actually.

    15 years ago I bought a STTNG for 400 euros, and the guy actually begged me to give him an extra 100€ to leave with a World cup soccer, I could have scored a Twilight Zone the same day for 500, he was an operator in France at a time where arcade rooms where in serial closing mode and I was an idiot for not foreseeing the trend, but outside of these blessed few years, I still find pinball to be a very good buy.

    #89 5 years ago
    Quoted from adol75:

    I have a WOZ, and I must say I've never ever put 9.000$ to a better use when it comes to adult toys.

    Oh?

    #90 5 years ago

    Not much left after overpaying for his T&A ..

    Quoted from adol75:

    .. I still can't figure out why a TNA costs 7.500$ ...

    #91 5 years ago

    The heart wants what the heart wants.

    #92 5 years ago
    Quoted from iceman44:

    I blew 2 Nib pins in Vegas a few weeks ago.

    Easy there iceman, it's a family-friendly thread.

    #93 5 years ago
    Quoted from jkleinnd:

    Not that it matters what we call it, but I hear the term "hobby" still being used, like we're fun and quirky stamp collectors, or quilters. Are spouses still buying this argument? ... Or its even more laughable close cousin, the "investment" justification?

    Lmfao, my mom is a quilter, and I can guarantee you she’s sunk WAY more $$ into fabrics, sewing machines, and quilting “retreats” than I have with my one NIB and a few older machines. My husband’s trains aren’t cheap either. We won’t even begin to talk about my concert-going habits.

    “Hobby” =\= “Inexpensive”

    #94 5 years ago

    You're right to point out that hobbies are not equal to cheap.
    I was coming at it more from the angle of personal toil, effort, rarity and patience. Vs just "buying in" off-the-shelf, at current retail pricing. Nothing wrong with either, but the "worth" (original topic) is entirely different between these 2 endeavors.

    I'm guessing your mom would understand... if she saw someone buying up a bunch of quilts at BB & B and then calling themselves a quilter?

    There are 94 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-pinball-machines-are-they-worth-the-money/page/2?hl=oneangrymo and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.