$2,000 without a doubt Whirlwind WW or Earthshaker ES. Done and Done

Came to say this.

Just make sure you know where you can put more

I got the bug bad I'm picking up 2 Pins and 2 Bowlers today

As mentioned before and what I have done myself is make sure you grab a Pin from someone on the board. I even got someone who knows pins look at it because I am new to the game myself. Good piece of mind. Sort of like getting a vehicle inspected before buying it.

Welcome to the hobby! My only suggestion would be to take your time & research which title you want to buy first. It can be overwhelming since there are so many titles & different types of gameplay available. Try heading over to the PAPA website & checking out all the tutorial/gameplay videos. It's a huge resource of information that can help you determine what type of gameplay interests you.

http://papa.org/learning-center/video-resources/tutorial-videos/

Many pinsiders have a love affair with their first machine & hold onto it forever. Make it count!

It's funny how every new person has a $2,000 budget for the first one. Like, everyone.

Also funny how everyone advises patience and most of us buy pretty quickly anyway.
That $2K just screams to be spent.

OP: Welcome to the hobby. The people are amazing!

SST was a great suggestion

Welcome

I've had both of these games.

Blackout is a cool time capsule with great sound and looks, and it looks like the seller did nice work. But it's a really easy game once you get the hang of it, and there's not much to it. No multiball either. It's missing the staying power of similar games like Firepower and Flash.

Wipe Out is a fun Premier title that like all of them isn't quite up to the Bally/Williams standards of the time. I certainly wouldn't spend $2,000 on one but if it's closer to $1,000 that's a fair price and you'll be able to sell it for what you bought it for when you want to move on in a couple months. It's got multiball and some fun shots, and the "ski lift" is a neat, simple "toy." Wipe Out is also likely to be very reliable as the Gottleib System 3 games are...can't really say the same for Blackout - those boards and connectors can cause trouble as they are very old. No idea if the guy has done all the work needed to bulletproof that game.

Of those two Wipe Out is probably more what you are looking for since you like modern DMD-style games. Local is a BIG plus.

I think these are some of the best pins in and around your price range:

Johnny Mnemonic
Whirlwind
Getaway
Judge Dredd
Fish Tales
World Cup Soccer
Jurassic Park
Frankenstein
Terminator 2

You could skew older, but for your first pin I recommend getting something from the DMD era. Most find this era to be more fun, with more gadgets, better sound, deeper code, video modes, etc.

Happy hunting!

I love World Cup Soccer and tried like heck to find one before buying ST new. I still want one, great game.

As many already adviced : Don't loan for toys, never!

Judge Dredd is a very nice game for under 2k
I read you love Star Trek, think you like fast-flow games, consider F-14 for some high speed action

Welcome to the addiction, I bet within 3 months you own 2
You have been warned

Do this...if you have a Playstation etc. you can do it on there...fully licensed versions of classic pinball machines. Still not exactly the same as playing the real thing(some I like on PS4 I don't like in real life), but good way to check a bunch out.

I think that this is probably the best idea (coupled with continuing to save), and I'll explain why.

I think that the "you'll own two within three months" phenomena is probably as pervasive as it is because we're trying to satisfy that initial "want" as quickly as possible--and we convince ourselves that any ol' machine within our price range will do. Only to find that that machine that we ran out and bought quickly is not the machine that we fell in love with (in this case the OP fell in love with Stern's Star Trek)

Chances are--he'll still buy that Stern Star Trek shortly after the initial newness of that impulse buy wears off. My advice would be to continue to save until you are able to afford that machine that caused you to fall in love. Why? Because you won't be able to avoid comparing Blackout or Wipe Out to it, which will only leave you disappointed. Consider waiting a bit longer to save up for that pin that you know for sure that you will love, because you might find yourself with buyers remorse if you don't.

^^^^ Good advice!!

I'll third the SST recommendations.....great "bang for your buck" pin. It's got a lot going on and some cool features for the price. Sounds like it might be up your alley theme wise as well.

I'm assuming you meant 2k for Wipeout and Blackout together?

In my opinion, this depends on how long it will take to save the money for the "love" pin. If it's going to take a year, I'd go ahead and buy what I could afford now, play it for a year, then sell it once I had the additional money to buy the "love" pin. You can't play a stack of 100's.

This is terrible advice.

He should buy a game - NOW - that is within his budget and he thinks looks like fun. That way he can do exactly what he wants - own a pinball machine, now. Why should he save for months or years for a $5000 game? That's a terrible way to get into the hobby.

15 years ago, I "wanted" an Addams Family. I settled for a $400 EM. I loved it. There's plenty of time on down the road to get that "dream game," which he may or may not still want at that time. You can spend $400 or you can spend $4000 - either way there's absolutely no guarantee that you won't get sick of the game, regardless of title.

I don't disagree with this, he may in fact find out after playing Star Trek for a while that he wants to sell it to purchase something different. That's certainly a possibility. I think that it's an even greater possibility that he purchases something within his immediate budget, and is left wanting more because he keeps comparing it to his first love, particularly since he said that he could save and have the funds that he needed in a couple months.

Welcome to the craziness! Great hobby. Frustrating at times, but so many good times. I agree on the Youtube comment. I watched so many videos of pinballs in action, gamerooms, thoughts, opinions, mods, etc. So many memories. BTW, a shout out to Chris Bucci who helped with my addiction. Check out his vids on Youtube. Also, a special shout out to the guys who is doing videos now. It feeds the addiction, but it sure helps on your decisions. Make a list and then check out the vids. Check here and pinball database on thoughts and opinions. Good luck and welcome aboard.

Considering how much you seemed to like the way ST plays, for 2k I would highly recommend getting a T2.They are both designed by Steve Ritchie and their respective shot layouts are very similar.

T2 would get old quickly as an only pin though. T3 is a similar price and has a bit more depth, so it would last a while longer. Probably enough time for the OP to build up some more money, then sell the T3 and get a Star Trek.

Also other games I recommend would be Jack-bot, Dirty Harry, The Shadow, and BSD. Finding a BSD or Shadow for $2k would be a bit of a challenge these days, but I think either of those games would be worth bumping the budget up to $2.5k for.

Another good option with that same Steve Ritchie magic is The Getaway (HSII). Probably a little over 2k these days but he should get his money back out of it when it comes time to sell and upgrade to ST.

Dude subscribe to tnt entertainments youtube channel. Watch as todd tuckey makes you fall in love with almost any game he shows. Great dude! And he goes in depth on all the games so you can pivk a title that is right for you. 2000 will get you a lot of pinball. Lots of great games to be hadin that price range.

Mortgage your house and get an LE! Seriously, NEVER buy a toy with money you don't have or money that isn't disposable. That's the best advice you'll get from here...and it applies to everything you purchase.

For 2k, I'd get something like DM, JM, NF, JP, or maybe even a newer Stern like WPT or NASCAR. Play it for a while, learn to make minor repairs, and save up for the ST. When you sell the machine you bought you'll likely break even or close to it +/- a few. ST will likely be able to be found cheaper used at that point too. Then buy a nice HUO.

I'd second that, and add: "Use the Pin Map to try and find those games that you think you'll enjoy on location, and see if you really like them or not". I fell in love with the theme and video gameplay of several pins, only to be left indifferent after actually playing them on location. That aside, it sounds like you've found some games that you really enjoy. Now the real quest begins--finding that perfect balance of price, condition, and location/aka "I wish you were closer!". (I'm in the same boat as you man, saving, searching, and waiting--all the while playing on location when I can.)

Theres also visual pinball to try out games on

I have to agree with what many said. If you are concerned about the bank account then DO NOT buy a pinball machine. We all would rather have more money but if you truly would feel a significant blow to your account, do not buy it.

These things are really expensive toys. You need to have you foundation covered well before spending money on things like this. Many of the suggested pins for 2k or less makes MUCH more sense

....and for the love of god - don't take a loan out for one.

First, +1 to not take out a loan for a pin. Bad bad BAD move.

Second, the pins you'd listed playing at other's houses don't play anything like Blackout or WipeOut. Other posts have already detailed how these two play.

But I like your thinking in getting two. I wish I would have gotten my 2nd one sooner, so that way I had a better chance of always having a working pin to play. You will inevitably have an issue on every pin you own that prevents you from playing it. And if you're like me, while I'm slowly getting better at fixing and maintaining my pins, I would much prefer playing them.

Keep in mind if you get a popular lower priced game, it'll be easier to sell it and pick up your Star Trek. If you find a Whirlwind, someone is going to want that when you're ready to sell it. If you buy a Big Guns and Millionaire, you'll have to find another sucker who's only buying games because they're cheap, because no one goes out specifically looking for a Big Guns and Millionaire.

I doubt you'll see anyone advocating going into debt for a pin. That aside, there is such a thing as a good use of credit, particularly if you are trying to build your current credit. Assuming that you have the funds to pay it off, you could use this as an opportunity to build your credit as well (rather than just walking in with a stack of greenbacks). I rarely purchase anything with cash. I save up the money until I can afford it, I'll purchase it with my AMEX, and then pay off the balance in full during my next billing cycle. That way I get the purchase protection, the rewards dollars, and continue to build my credit worthiness.

The same would be true for any single pin collection.

Also, IMO T2 is a better game then T3 and usually a nice chunk of change cheaper. As a result, it seems easier to sell when it comes time for the OP to trade up to a ST.

Fish tales... Of all the titles mentioned in your price range, this has to be the one.

SUUUUPPPERRRJACCKKKKPOT!!!!

If you have the money and are already thinking about taking out a loan, you could take an interest free loan from yourself and pay it back as though it was from the bank. That way you are still slowly paying it off like you want, but you aren't paying any interest. Still not the best idea to steal from your rainy day fund, even temporarily, but if you are smart with your money and pay it off quickly it's also probably not that big of a deal.

If you are single... Just a heads up... You will end up getting rid of some furniture to fit more pins. This hobby is VERY addictive and you wont stop till you cant fit any more. For some, it gets sooo bad they get a storage unit and horde what they cant fit. lol

He's saying to spend past what you're comfortable with, but "pay yourself" back monthly until your bank account is back to where you're comfortable with it. Interest free loans would be quite a thing.

If you are ok with a loan. Just get a no interest credit card. Some are up to 2 years with no interest. But make sure you have it paid off before the no-interest promotion ends.

Or, if you already have a Citi® Diamond Preferred® card.

They offer 0% Interest for 1.3 years for 4% of the amount of each transaction.
So, you are looking at about a $100 fee, but you have over a year to pay it off without interest.

I have used this service about a dozen times, it is really great for emergency or hobby addiction when the seller only takes cash and you dont want to dip into your savings.

I've held my tounge up to this point because I don't really know the folks on here. And I don't know how people here view the hobby along with finances. And I don't want to offend people either.

What I'm reading in this thread is really, really heading in a bad direction in terms of financial smarts. In my view, the OP is not in a position to drop a few grand on a toy based on what he's shared. I fully appreciate there are people making different amounts of money and we are all in a different place financially. My pin was a little less than two week's gross household income and I still spent six months getting my wife on board.

OP...please think carefully before you spend this much money on a toy.

In my opinion, these are machines not toys.

I would not waste your money on a full size Virtual Pin. Has almost no chance of re-sale, so if you build one chances are you will be stuck with it forever. You could build a table top version. Just a monitor/frame & buttons/iPac then you just plug it into your home computer. "aka" portable and would cost you about $100 if you are handy. I liked my (3) monitor virtual cab when I built it, but after awhile you realize it is so fake and the unrealistic physics get boring. That said, I am about to chop-up and gut mine and make a portable controller like I mention above. My advice, save up, get the real thing and build a cheap table top version while you wait.

I'm a few months in, so I can relate to what your're going through somewhat. I would take the "buying"advise or pin suggestions your are getting on pinside, try and find them on the Pinball map ( you may have to drive some distance)and play them again and again until you find the right one or the right deal.

I would not recommend a non working project(unless your extremely talented, patient and a quick learner). Anything where you can clean stuff up and bolt stuff on(working) may be a good starting point. NIB games can and will have some down side financially, the pro's in a good title at $4800 won't lose you a ton of money. Sometime the market changes and you may be looking at $3500-$4000 on a used pin in the event you need to sell right away. Something to keep in mind. I've been buying all of my games figuring I will lose 10-15% and if I come out any different it will be a good thing. Be patient, buy smart and play lots of machines before you buy(use the pinball map to find). When you are ready, come on here and ask the masses for advise and take someone that knows what they are doing with you to look when you are ready..Now if I could just follow this advise all the time for myself

When in doubt post questions on this forum. There is a lot of really good people here that have been doing this for a long time.

Lol your not getting any of these for 2k anymore good luck prices are out of control now you must hunt for a deal then attack before the others do kinda half the fun.

Fact.

Op should buy an EM for $600 or less. Way more people should start out this way.

And virtual pins are terrible and a total waste of money. You'd be better off with the worlds most basic EM than a virtual pin.