I'd echo the advice to try some first before jumping in.

With EMs, it's easy to get underwater on them if you don't do your own restoration work. So deciding if you just want one to play, or one to work on is another thing to consider. If you want one to just play, finding one from a local hobbyist who's given it a thorough going through can be money ahead, even if it's a bit more expensive initially (compared to getting a project that needs work).

Other things to consider are how much you want to budget for an EM. There are games available in several different price ranges, reflecting condition and collectability. The combination of those will drive the price (i.e. best condition and most collectible will be a couple thousand or more; the other end is pushing parts game price; the rest will fall in between with a lot of variability).

Personally, I'd suggest holding out to find one on nice to better condition, even if a bit more expensive. And it's hard to go wrong with a single-player Gottlieb. (although a two-player will do in a pinch). But there are lots of decent Williams and Bally too.

If you want to check out some EMs while in MN (and probably hear more about them than you ever care to), PM me.

You bet! Always fun to talk pinball and give the games some exercise. And thanks for the Bock.