Well, I know what I'm doing and recently paid $1200 for one that needed new displays, and a couple boards replaced. The playfield is beyond shot! The parts alone are worth far more than what he is hoping to pay as is. There is always that one lucky guy that stole one from an operator who didn't realize its worth, but waiting around for that kind of miracle likely means he will never acquire one. I waited a while for a new playfield but those guys stopped even commenting on when it would be available so I gave up and after some aggressing searching, paid $1000 for a NOS clear coated one. If I ever get around to swapping the playfield, I can tell you it will sell for around $5K or I would not sell at all. The good news for the OP is that prices have been edging down lately, and supply has been going up for some reason. We have another one that is quite nice that just sold for $3600, but when I bought it I had planned on getting $4500. I still wouldn't hesitate to pay $1200 for a well worn model. You can get graphics and all the parts, but the playfield issue will be a bit of a gamble for now. If I were you, I would do what others have said...pay $2800 or so for a decent one...and that will be a challenge but very likely if you are patient. If you are good at restoring games, then get a beater for less and then be prepared to be in it the same or more, not counting your time.

Pinside pricing, except for the usual suspects, are far lower over all than the real world. I check them daily, and very aware of retail pricing as well...it is my job. This is still the place to go if you are a collector and want a fair deal. It is pretty easy to flesh out the dealers that advertise here....I wouldn't use those numbers to justify your statement but if you didn't parcel who the prices were coming from, it would be easy to come to your conclusion. This is still an awesome place to buy from an amazing community.