Hey Pinside! I'm new here, and I'm looking for my first pin. Specifically, Johnny Mnemonic. My budget is tight, and I'm mainly interested in deep rules and interesting modes, so this one speaks to me. I'm also the world's biggest William Gibson fan, so anything even tangentially related gets my attention (yah yah, the movie was silly).

I have two questions for you veteran pinheads. First, does anyone know a secret spot in the Los Angeles area where I can play a quality JM, just to make sure it's for me? I've played at the two "known" locations in LA that have one, and both machines are virtually unplayable, they are so poorly maintained. I've watched all the gameplay videos and done the reading and I'm pretty confident this game is for me, but I don't feel good about spending the money without playing it "for real" at least a little bit.

Second question- because my budget is so tight, I'm interested in a machine that needs work. Even a full restoration doesn't scare me. I'm experienced with things mechanical and electronic, and working on pins sounds like as much fun as playing them to me. The listings you see are mostly for shopped or fully restored machines (and priced accordingly). Any tips for finding a run-down one in need of rescuing?

That said, I'm open to considering a fair price on a good-condition machine, so if someone is thinking about selling, I'll listen. I'll pick up within a 6-7 hour driving radius of SoCal. I'm not interested in flipping machines or making money at this- I just want one to play for a long time and smother with love.

Thanks in advance, everyone! I've been lurking here for a long time, and this is a remarkable community.

That's good information, thanks! If I can find an operator or someone to sell me a broken old one, it's good to know the lower range of fair prices. I realize the going rate for a good one is ~2k, and I'm open to that if I can't do any better. But for that price, I'd need one where everything works, and preferably with side art that is at least still orange. The yellow end-state of fade looks so awful. I realize that's a lot to ask for this machine though. It also depends on distance- if it's far away, it's going to need to be cheaper.

Yah, so I'm learning. I'm astonished at the poor state of repair of some locations. One of the JMs has no sound, no GI, weak flippers (and one sticky), the hand is dead, the rubbers are disintegrating, a couple of the modes won't start, and it's astonishingly filthy. It's really sad to see any machine rotting like that.

Done!

My thought as well. I'm attempting to get a hold of the owner of one of them. The best candidate is owned by a bar (no operator in the loop), but he's proving elusive to get a hold of. Interestingly, the bartender told me the owner has "a storage facility with a bunch more pinball machines in it". Who knows what this guy might have gathering dust...