If you have the money and if you do not want to have to worry about repairs immediately, then go ahead and look for a NIB machine (NIB stands for "New in Box"). I would also recommend that you go to an arcade or some other type of onsite location where you can check out different pinball machines. From my experience, modern games play quite fast, machines made in the 1990's are some of the top rated and most sought after, and anything from the 1980's or earlier might be kind in terms of price - but will likely need maintenance. Have fun choosing your first machine and welcome to Pinside ralphs007