Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure
Williams, 1993What is the going rate for an IJ these days? I'm looking at several, ranging from something close to CQ to ones that need some cabinet work (but the playfields look good), so curious as to what would be a fair market price.
Also, what are the key items to look for on one of these machines?
Can anyone give me some tips on what to look for on these machines? I'm going to see one this weekend, would be helpful to know any common issues. Also, anything on this that's a total pain to work on, is it a nightmare of sorts like a STTNG can be?
I've got an IJ for sale in Cincinnati, OH that would be at the upper end of the price spectrum. I'm asking $6500 for a machine with new decals installed, original mylared playfield, plenty of mods/extras, PDI glass, etc...
Quoted from PenthousePinball:I've got an IJ for sale in Cincinnati, OH that would be at the upper end of the price spectrum. I'm asking $6500 for a machine with new decals installed, original mylared playfield, plenty of mods/extras, PDI glass, etc...
Thanks, sounds nice, but a bit out of my price range. 
If it needs a decal job, don't pay any more than $4K. They're expensive and there's a lot of labor involved. I have purchased two in the past year for $3,600 and $3,500 each and both were 100% working but extensive cabinet fade. Totally restored $6,500-$7K. Make sure the mini playfield and idol work flawlessly or avoid it altogether.
Quoted from devlman:If it needs a decal job, don't pay any more than $4K. They're expensive and there's a lot of labor involved. I have purchased two in the past year for $3,600 and $3,500 each and both were 100% working but extensive cabinet fade. Totally restored $6,500-$7K. Make sure the mini playfield and idol work flawlessly or avoid it altogether.
Out of curiosity, why are the mini PF and idol deal killers? Looks like parts are available for them, are they ridiculously hard to repair?
Not questioning the validity of the statement, just curious as I've never owned an IJ.
IMO, they aren't. Just a simple motor and an opto board. It's a popular game that they made of ton of, lots of parts available.
Dialing this game in is a bitch though. You need strong flippers to make the right ramp, the mode start sucks dialing in, the POA needs to be perfectly level and adjusted...
But once dialed in, the game is awesome and should be trouble free for a long time.
Quoted from RDReynolds:Out of curiosity, why are the mini PF and idol deal killers?
Damn Gwax, timing is everything. I was looking for the longest time and picked one up recently but had a 3hr drive. I would have loved to picked one up local! Might you have a Barracora you'd be willing to part with? 
Mine was $5k with shipping and an uninstalled decal set, so I'd say the pin itself cost about $4,200. I would love to have picked one of these up for $3,500, but I've never seen that deal. The price I paid was pretty typical, from what I've seen.
Thanks to everyone for their help. I found one about three hours away that had been sitting in a basement virtually unplayed for the last 14 years. Game looks really nice, save for a bit of fade on one side of the cabinet. Was planning on doing all kinds of work on it this weekend, but it's already pretty much working perfectly save for one switch on the POA. Hopefully that won't be too painful. 
you'll have to pull the entire poa out to replace that switch. There is a system to taking that out. Its gone over quite well in the manual if you have one. You have to take off the side ball return and the bridge across the back to access it.
Quoted from RDReynolds:Ah, missed that in the manual. See it now, doesn't look impossible.
Be very careful about popping the wires off of the switch for the ball stop right before the path of adventure entrance. I did that on mine and it was a real bitch to fix.
Quoted from RDReynolds:Out of curiosity, why are the mini PF and idol deal killers? Looks like parts are available for them, are they ridiculously hard to repair?
Not questioning the validity of the statement, just curious as I've never owned an IJ.
Sorry, should have said make sure idol itself is good/there (you're right that function is not hard to fix) as this is not replaceable as far as I know. Mini PF can just be a pain to work on so it saves a lot of work if it functions.
I lucked out, as both those assemblies were in tact and working perfectly, save for a lone switch on the POA.
also make sure when you take a picture of the bottom of the poa beforehand. You will likely have to move around some of the wires underneath to get the old switch out and the new switch in. In this process you may not get them exactly back as they were. I had a wire in the way of one of the dropholes when I put it back on. I had to take it all apart and start over. So make sure your dropholes are clear the wires are strapped down.
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Indianapolis, IN