JP no question best game to start with. It's well liked, fun layout, not too hard, and generally reliable. You can buy one new or save a little finding a huo.
TZ is one of my favorite games. It's such a great classic loaded with features and nostalgia (for me at least). Owning these older games is a different experience, though. Maintenance will be more of an issue and TZ is no exception. TZ is also expensive. If it's not a game you already love, hard to argue getting it instead of a new Stern.
The POTC rolex comment is spot on. Nobody seemed too excited about it until production unexpectedly stopped short and then all of a sudden it's the got-to-have game. Rumors are they were too expensive to make but pretty sure sales figures were not great either. Owners won't hesitate to tell you it's the best game ever yet many cashed when used prices shot up. It's definitely loaded full of features but I didn't find it anyone near $11-14k fun. You can get two Stern pro's for that and have 10x more fun imo.