You should be able to get a T2 shipped for under 3k. Gwaxt72 has a Demolition Man for $1650. He's a great seller. Shipping would probably be less than $400. That would be an excellent first machine!

Easier to maintain? Only T2.

Welcome to Pinside!

Why is Terminator 2 out of the question?

Some great ideas for a first pinball that are in your price range are things like Who Dunnit?, Judge Dredd, Demolition Man, Stargate, and Starship Troopers.

It's really a subjective thing though. What games do you two enjoy playing?

at 3k some of these might be out of range , if you can find a twilight zone for 3k and is fixable grab it first

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/ad/25185

PM and ask for pictures before it's gone!

$3k will buy almost any pinball machine. A lot of budget recommendations are for games within a $2k or $1500 budget which would cut you off from more of the top tier "B" titles.

Your budget only cuts off the really top end expensive games, and even then there are plenty of games within that on the top 50 here (Road Show, HS2, Dracula, Funhouse, Shadow, NGG, WW, RFM, WCS...).

Love rocky and bullwinkle and its family friendly. Also hook and 24 are fun games. Stargate if she's a sci fi fan. All fun machines that are under $3000.

yeah you could find a BSD or T2 for in or below that price range the others good luck

This reminds me of the time Homer bought Marge a bowling ball.

My wife absolutely loves our T-2! Will be here for awhile...

"Bowl damn you"

Demo Man vs. T2 thread:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/demolition-man-vs-t2

It has nice speed/flow, and good skill challenge. Thumbs up!

Check the reviews on Pinside. There will also be a bunch of discussion about Demo Man if you search for threads on the best games under $2000 or best budget games, etc. The only reason it's cheap is because the theme/art are pretty bad and they made a ton of them, not because of gameplay.

While BSD is a great game, from a "keep it working right" point of view, I would hold off until you have a few games under your belt. Mist multiball is kind of a maintenance bitch.

I may be about to pull the trigger on a DM as well. Never played it but looks like a ton of fun, which is what its all about!

Have it put in a steel crate and there is a good chance it will arrive intact.

I ship using Michelle at STI. Just send her an email: [email protected]

Gwaaxt72 knows the routine.

I've had over a dozen machines shipped, no problems. Other have had lots of problems, though, so take my experience with a grain of salt.

They pick it up, wrap it in blankets and plastic-wrap, and deliver it to your house. Costs a few hundred bucks, but try to think of it as money you'd throw at eating out or entertainment.

Also, with that Demo Man you will need to clean the playfield and put new rubbers on it. That's part of why the price is so good. That can be a great way to start getting a feel for maintenance without being overwhelmed. It'll be good bonding time

Be careful , I bought our first pin for an anniversary present for my wife and now the basement is full of them. She loves Pinball and helped fuel the craze.

If you don't blow your whole budget, you can start building up the dough for a second machine before the end of the year

Check the pinsider map, and find some of the active people in OH. Lots of good people around you.

I'll have several for sale next week.

Man, you went from "What's a reasonable pinball machine to buy" to locking in a deal in 2 hours, you work quickly.

Also that DM looks like a killer deal.

Just makes sure your wife truly loves pinball. A wedding anniversary is nothing to mess around with.

You've got a couple big pinball shows coming up very soon in your part of the country. I'd take her to one and play the hell out of everything. Then you'll know what you like and don't like. You might even pick up a pin while there. I'm sure this transaction will be fine, but it's always preferable to see it in person before handing over the cash. Also nice to avoid shipping fees for that matter.

Good luck and welcome to the hobby!

Rob is a good guy. I bought my first machine from a turd. Be happy that you won't feel ripped off!

PM me if you need any help
- Scott

Get Comet Pinball Leds. www.cometpinball.com also take a look at the manual here:
http://mirror2.ipdb.org/files/662/Williams_1994_Demolition_Man_Operations_Manual_English_OCR_searchable.pdf Page #99 it tells you the location of the lamp and the type. The only thing you would have to do is find a video or image to let you know which color to use.

or you can go the easy route and buy a premade kit from pinballbulbs.com or cointaker.com

Congrats on your purchase. DM was my first machine too and now I have 5. That was less than a year ago!

Anyway, I think you'll love the game. I suspect it will need some work to be shiny and clean, but you got a really good deal on it.

I will warn you that DM is freakin' heavy, so have some friends available to help with the move depending on where it's going to go in the house.

Is this like when Homer bought Marge a bowling ball for their anniversary?

I'd definitely include a nice gift basket with a can of naptha, some Novus 2, a good carnauba wax, and some microfiber cloths. Maybe put a few bows on the items.

You may be joking, but my husband did make me a little pinball care kit as a present once we got our first pin as an anniversary present to ourselves. Bright pink tote box with cleaner, teeny tool kit, solder iron, eventually added in some LEDs, etc. I still use it, even though now it gets stored inside my huge purple storage chest that houses all the other pinball supply stuff we've accumulated over 3 years. If she's going to be helping maintain/clean/LED/work on them, it's actually an awesome gift.

(Then again I play/work on the machines more than he does, so I may be a little more involved than the average wife. I've also got my own power tools, riding mower, etc. )

New thread title - Present for the self.

Wow, I thought unicorns, Bigfoot and wives like you were only mythical creatures. Your husband is one lucky guy.

This is her soldering gun
Han-Solo-Soldering-Gun.jpg

lol does that soldering gun have a scope?

No. She solders with a blast shield helmet on, so that is just for looks.

I'm definitely joking, but I hope we can all appreciate the humor of a gift basket full of such items. Though certainly useful to me, I'd still think it was funny if my wife gave me something like that, especially if little bows were attached