Quoted from jwo825:A lot of people were talking about it yesterday. I haven't heard if anyone picked it up or if it was a scam, though. Just sold mine. It's a fun game when it's all cleaned up
I kept watching Pinside to see if anything came up about it.
The seller answered when we called. Somehow, I was the first caller. He bought the pin 10 years ago for his kids and put it under the porch on his patio by the pool. He said it used to work (I said I will take it). He said the kids used to play it all the time (I said I will take it). He said that a tech came out and told him for $800 he could fix it up good as new (I said I will take it). He finally heard me - when do you want to pick it up, today or tomorrow. I said in one hour. I knew what was coming.
We hit the ATM and started on the 45 minute drive. Ran into road work so had to detour and were running a little late. Gave him a call to let him know we were still coming. By the time we got to the seller, he had fielded a dozen other calls. He said people called from all over Texas, offering more money, sight unseen. The highest offer he got was $2,000. But he waited for us to get there.
We walked through his house to the back patio and there it sat in all its glory. Rusty legs, rusty coin door. Dead insects on the play field. Saggy bottom panel. Deteriorated rubber rings. Faded topper in a slightly cracked tub. Cabinet was not too badly faded, considering it had been outside for 10 years. He turned it on and opened the door and pushed a few buttons (like they always do). DMD lit up with the FACTORY RESET screen. Nothing else. He said it had started a game earlier, so he was not sure what was up. I told him probably exploded batteries in the backbox. I asked did he have a key for the backbox. Key - you mean that opens? So for 10 years, no batteries replaced, no balls replaced, no bands replaced.
Loaded it up (hearing you know if you had been 30 minutes later I would have sold this for $2,000 to someone else, don't you) and took it home. But he never asked us for more money. We had to drive with the head up - couldn't get into the backbox - so protected the topper with duct tape and a cardboard box and headed back to East BFE.