Pirates of the Caribbean
Stern, 2006
The Simpsons Pinball Party
Stern, 2003Just confirmed I will be pickup a POTC from a business client for $1200. The machine was in a chuck e cheese and isn't getting any play time to justify having anymore. I went and checked the machine out, the cab is in pretty nice shape considering its been surrounded by kids for years. The playfield will need some serious work, but should clean up nicely. Gonna shop it out and led it. Not sure if I will flip it yet, or keep it for me, all I know is im excited!
Quoted from Dr-Willy:Just confirmed I will be pickup a POTC from a business client for $1200. The machine was in a chuck e cheese and isn't getting any play time to justify having anymore. I went and checked the machine out, the cab is in pretty nice shape considering its been surrounded by kids for years. The playfield will need some serious work, but should clean up nicely. Gonna shop it out and led it. Not sure if I will flip it yet, or keep it for me, all I know is im excited!
At that price, I wouldn't have left without the game after checking it out...
what excites me more is that the guy said he can get me more and other machines from chuck e cheeses if i wanted. I know they had simpsons pinball party in some which i would love to get my hands on one, anyone know any other machines that chuck e cheese had/have?
nice score..........................................................................................enjoy
Quoted from Dr-Willy:what excites me more is that the guy said he can get me more and other machines from chuck e cheeses if i wanted. I know they had Simpsons Pinball Party in some which i would love to get my hands on one, anyone know any other machines that chuck e cheese had/have?
TSPP and POTC are easily the two most common for CEC, maybe a Shrek?
Being a GM at CEC once upon a time, They are NOT allowed to sell games. This rule still applies today so im not sure who you are getting it from but confirm its legal and authorized for corporate.
Trust me, i tried often when i was a part of their company and i was tight with regional management and they would not even sell to me, any game or part (not just pinball). they would force us to throw out even a control panel from a game that worked but had too much physical ware. couldn't take any parts from it. all was destroyed
Sounds like a handshake and document it went into the trash deal... Never heard of them selling one.
Times have changed for them lately, they do sell some stuff, but getting in the door is next to impossible. They do now have a central warehouse and i know for a fact that they do sell machines. I actually had a bill at one time with what they charged for each game for a load that was picked up. At the time they were selling, potc, shrek, tspp, elvis, nascar, dale jr, rct, and rbion. and some vids to like mario cart. The prices on the pins ranged between 1400 and 1900. and multiple had to be purchased, and they were loaded on your truck, no picking out which ones you want, if you were taking 10 shreks, you got the first 10 in line.
Condition, well, its CeC, so usually they were beat up. I seen many that had so many scratches on it that it was heartbreaking. The game was set up next to something like one of the basketball shooting games and the cabinets were touching, so with each shot, the cage rattled on the basketball game and scratched the pin
Most importantly, the repair (cough) if that is what you want to call it. There are so many of the machines from them that have horrendous hacks. I picked up a Shrek this ewekend and the coins all have electrical tape holding the wires on, and i havent seached much more as im going to do a full teardown anyway.
That price sounds about right for a beat up game. CEC games are always beat to death and full of hacks. Hopefully you can bring it around and have a nice players game. Good luck with the purchase.
Quoted from Tilt:They do now have a central warehouse
Pretty sure it's in Oklahoma, yeah?
Oh, sorry, did I just say too much? 
Quoted from silver_spinner:Being a GM at CEC once upon a time, They are NOT allowed to sell games. This rule still applies today so im not sure who you are getting it from but confirm its legal and authorized for corporate.
Trust me, i tried often when i was a part of their company and i was tight with regional management and they would not even sell to me, any game or part (not just pinball). they would force us to throw out even a control panel from a game that worked but had too much physical ware. couldn't take any parts from it. all was destroyed
For that price I'm sure he will make sure it's all legit, authorized, and all. Ed
Quoted from barakandl:My dad has a pirates from CEC. It says so right in the boot up like it has custom software.
if so, you can get rid of that, there is a set of dipswitches and only one of them will be in a different position and if you put them all in the same it will no longer boot up to CeC
Quoted from Dr-Willy:what excites me more is that the guy said he can get me more and other machines from chuck e cheeses if i wanted. I know they had Simpsons Pinball Party in some which i would love to get my hands on one, anyone know any other machines that chuck e cheese had/have?
Seriously, could you help me with getting one local to me? I go in there all the time with my daughter and ask them if I can buy it everytime. It is beat pretty bad but I offered them $2500. No dice still even after my wife asked to buy it this past weekend. Shoot me a pm if you can help. I'll send you a finders fee.
Quoted from 85vett:Seriously, could you help me with getting one local to me? I go in there all the time with my daughter and ask them if I can buy it everytime. It is beat pretty bad but I offered them $2500. No dice still even after my wife asked to buy it this past weekend. Shoot me a pm if you can help. I'll send you a finders fee.
Not sure how I could help you as im on the other side of the states from you. From what others have said seems the owner has to be willing to work with you. He did tell me that he has a source where I could get more. Even if I could get 2 TSPP after from what others have said about the crap shoot of machines you could get, plus shipping out to you, I doubt it would be worth it to you. Ill keep my ears open though.
Ill post some pics of mine when I pick it up. Hopefully the hack jobs aren't to bad. I am up for a challenge and am getting this because I love projects.
I'm sure it will be fine but I never celebrate great deals like this until I am driving away with the game.
Having said that, congrats on a great deal.
Parker
Quoted from michiganpinball:I'm sure it will be fine but I never celebrate great deals like this until I am driving away with the game.
Having said that, congrats on a great deal.
Parker
I agree and normally i don't but i feel i know this guy well enough. I know him from being a teller at the bank he banks at and he would refuse to go to anyone else, so i know he likes me. Im going to go back today and take give him half now so that way it kinda locks the deal in and i will give him the other half when i pick up the machine.
Quoted from Dr-Willy:Not sure how I could help you as im on the other side of the states from you. From what others have said seems the owner has to be willing to work with you. He did tell me that he has a source where I could get more. Even if I could get 2 TSPP after from what others have said about the crap shoot of machines you could get, plus shipping out to you, I doubt it would be worth it to you. Ill keep my ears open though.
Ill post some pics of mine when I pick it up. Hopefully the hack jobs aren't to bad. I am up for a challenge and am getting this because I love projects.
Be prepared for the worst.... Stern parts arent cheap either.... Over the least two years I have bought at least 8 CEC machines (mostly TSPP and POTC) and they were in various conditions. Even the nice of the nice still required about $200 in parts to make it look and play nice.
If you want to see some of the various conditions, take a look here-
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-simpsons-pinball-party-2600-se-wisconsin
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-tspp-se-wisconsin-3k
http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-pirates-of-the-caribbean-3900-southern-wisconsin
If you end up with a TSPP, pray that your plastics aren't broken, they just aren't out there anymore.
I appreciate your words of wisdom. I figure at 1200 i really can't go wrong. Even if i have to put upwards of 800 into it to make it nice and a players machine, 2k for a players POTC is nothing in my mind. Especially because the pinball scene in my area is practically not-existant, people try to sell machines for the most obsurd prices around my area.
Yeah, you definitely cant go wrong at 1200. I was commenting more on the part where the guy said he can get you other machines as well. It is a complete crap shoot with these CEC machines. The more recent machines I have had have been of much lesser quality than the first ones. That extra year out on the store really is a difference maker.
Assuming code hasn't been updated, do an earnings check on the machine before you do anything else. Always fun to see how much these things earned. My last TSPP had pulled in $42,000. 
Quoted from ralphwiggum:Yeah, you definitely cant go wrong at 1200. I was commenting more on the part where the guy said he can get you other machines as well. It is a complete crap shoot with these CEC machines. The more recent machines I have had have been of much lesser quality than the first ones. That extra year out on the store really is a difference maker.
Assuming code hasn't been updated, do an earnings check on the machine before you do anything else. Always fun to see how much these things earned. My last TSPP had pulled in $42,000.
Even more impressive when you know they only charge one token for the game. 
That would be 168K games. Yikes.
Quoted from Jazman:Nope, 1200 is a no-brainer - sight unseen given that it's complete. If you need to, you put in a new playfield (readily available).
VERY nice score.
Jaz
Does anyone know where i could pickup a playfield at?
Quoted from Dr-Willy:Does anyone know where i could pickup a playfield at?
Haha, is it that bad?
Quoted from Dr-Willy:Does anyone know where i could pickup a playfield at?
Last I remembered, the price was $400 but I don't remember where that was. Marco has it in stock but at $800. If you look around you might still find it cheaper...
http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/830-5100-92
Jaz
Quoted from Dr-Willy:Does anyone know where i could pickup a playfield at?
$385 from PBR
Quoted from Aurich:Haha, is it that bad?
not exactly sure yet haha, just like to keep my options open. I think it will clean up well, but i am still new to the pinball world so im more then likely not the best person to just look at something and say yeah that will be fine after a little elbow grease.
Quoted from Dr-Willy:not exactly sure yet haha, just like to keep my options open. I think it will clean up well, but i am still new to the pinball world so im more then likely not the best person to just look at something and say yeah that will be fine after a little elbow grease.
Post pics once you've got it, we'll help.
Quoted from Aurich:Post pics once you've got it, we'll help.
Oh i plan to as this will be my first teardown and restore type project. Im sure i will need lots of help from everyone here lol.
On a side note i called the guy again today saying i was going to come bring him a deposit for the machine and he said not to do it just yet as he needs his technician to come out and clean the machine up, empty the coins, remove the ticket dispinser and some others stuff. Said i could come pick it up early next week, and reassured me its going to no one else. Hope he keeps that promise.
Well update to this story/adventure. I went in today to talk to the guy and he said okay lets have a seat and talk about this. Right then I knew something was changing.
He told me his technician told him not to sell this machine to me for 1200 because it is worth much more then that and is now a collectors item and they are selling on ebay for 3800+. He apologized over and over saying im sorry I just had no idea it was worth that much (Granted we all know he will never get that much for it cause the machine is tore up for being in a CEC for 6 years). He then said, with that said I need to get it out of here I have new games coming in already. My normal policy is to sell a game for half of what I bought it for when I decide to sell it, I bought that machine 6 years ago and paid 2500 for it which is why I told you 1200. My technician told me not to take anything less then 2400 for it.
I told him at that price point I can't justify the purchase. He apologized again and said I understand and that the technician offered to buy it from him for that much and then he would take it to auction. He told me that he would rather the machine go to me where it will be played and loved. He then told me, look ill do 2000 for it if you can do that. I told him I would think about it and get back to him.
Question is at 2000 is it still a good deal? After relooking at the machine im almost 100 percent positive its going to need a new playfield which thanks to someone in this thread earlier, I have found one for 400. I was going to do a complete over haul on this thing, so say I put 1000 in it, I would have 3000 invested in a POTC which would look fresh and play great, but does the fact that it sat in a CEC for years change anything. POTC isn't really on my dream list of titles, I was only going to get it and then either flip it or use it as trade bate towards a game I really want.
Thoughts?
Still a deal at 2k. You could buy it now, do nothing to it, and still make 500-700 doing nothing to it. that being said, if he truly wants you to have it to enjoy, Flipping it really defeats the purpose.
I would of bought it at 2400. Does it really need a new playfield for you to enjoy it? You also mentioned about more machines that he could get for you. If you come across as cheap, there won't be any more future deals.
Quoted from LesManley:At that price, I wouldn't have left without the game after checking it out...
I saw this coming 5 minutes after you posted. I hate to say I told you so, but...
Pretty much all of us have been there at least once before. The deal where you need to do it now, but for whatever reason don't, and then regret later. The seller assures you, "Don't worry, I'll hold it. We're buddies, I know you, it isn't going anywhere. No one else knows about it, it's safe." People are flakes and will often sell someone out for a dollar; business acquaintances, strangers...even friends. In the future, no matter what the seller may say, complete the deal. Hopefully lesson learned.
I would also add that if you want it...GET IT NOW...before the price goes up again...cause it will if you hesitate long enough.
I would think 2000 is still a great deal, u would be seriously hard pressed to find another, even a basketcase.
go get it before he changes his mind again!
and..... if you dont want it, I would still go get it and pass it onto someone here who would surely buy it from you 
Quoted from Aurich:TSPP and POTC are easily the two most common for CEC, maybe a Shrek?
I've actually seen two separate Dale Jr's at CECs in Colorado.
Quoted from Clawhammer:I've actually seen two separate Dale Jr's at CECs in Colorado.
The CEC "big four" that are offered to me all the time- POTC, TSPP, RCT, and Nascar. Seems like they had a ton of these particular titles. Every once in ablue moon I will see a Dale Jr., Shrek, or Spiderman get offered up, but it is rare.
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West Bridgewater, MA