Quoted from CrazyLevi:Honestly the best way to avoid being "ripped off" as an inexperienced noob, is just buy something brand new
Solid advice there. Get a base model (pro) from a company that has a decent history. If you decide to get an older used machine just know that you will be working on it and dumping money into....just as much as you will play it. You will be working on a NIB as well, but your first repairs will hopefully be a little bit more straight forward. If you don't go the NIB route then a get a newish title. A good example would be a Rush Pro (if you can deal with the music...some people hate Rush and won't go within 10 feet of it). You don't have the infamous Node 10 board issues associated with a moving ramp. The gameplay is fantastic and they are the most inexpensive recent Stern product being sold on the secondary market. You can get one for under 6000 with relatively low plays. I would guess the Bond Pro will be coming down in price on the secondary market. There was a a lot of them made and some owners are sick of waiting for code updates and moving on. Good luck and look fwd to seeing you on the "look what I brought home today" thread.