Yikes. Another one of these posts. A lineup is based on your likes, game styles, age and plenty of other factors. 15 EM's or 6 Bally solid states or a NIB pin?

Live steam engine. 7.5 inch gauge. A model railroad I can ride on.

LTG : )

Agree with tomdrum, yikes

buy 1 and see if you are into the ownership side before buying several. Only you know what you like to play. I would warn you that if you do like ownership they can become a little bit of an obsession. Speaking from a guy that has 12

Keep a few buck back too, I have yet to buy a pin and it fully works. Most say it fully works but they always have something wrong.

I got an LGB set up

put a POTC on layaway.

best bang for the buck.. either.. Alien , POTC (if you can find one), WOZ, or Wonka.

Do you have something against games that won't break in a week?

For $12K I'd buy a bubble burst, pinside 100, and Which games would you buy for $x Pinside Thread Starter Pack.

Really .....

Maverick $2k
Shadow $3.5
Met pro $4.5
whirlwind $3K

or 2 stern premiums

ST and MET

MET and TWD

Whatever u decide.........Don't do this.

Stay away from Alien.
POTC is overpriced
WOZ and Wonka are great if ur either very old or very comfortable at the steam baths.

Get a JP Pro and I would say DP Pro or Maiden, u will still have a grand in ur pocket and 2 great games.

I'd buy some of the nicer EMs and early SS pins;
Bally Fireball, Capt Fantastic
Gottlieb Sinbad, Black Hole, Haunted House and Spiderman
Williams Aztec and Gorgar

Oh wait, this is what I DID!

You have have one or two newer pins for your money or a great
and varied collection.

Hard to choose the titles, but for sure it would be divided like this.

6k towards early solid states.
2k towards 70s EMs.
Remaining 4k for a couple, or maybe three solid Williams System X.

Outdoor kitchen for my new home.

2 used Thunderbirds and 1 new Punny Factory

Iron maiden premium 7000
POTC stern 5000 enjoy

Whirlwind has to be the best bang for buck system 11, but 3k? More like 3800

Fuck it I'm blowing it all on cocaine causing me to lose my job wife house and then turning my story into a country music song that makes me millions so I no longer need a job get a new hotter wife and a big ass house that I can fill with all the pins I ever wanted

One stern Pro
One system 11
One gottlieb sys 80a/b
One early SS (Bally or Stern)
2 EMs

Now *THIS* would absolutely be so cool! Good call, LTG!

GNR LE @ $10,500 + 21 JJP GNR hoodies at $70 each.

What, there hasn’t been topper joke yet?

Good topic OP to throw out 12k for pins - took years to build that kind of scratch.
It’s refreshing to see folks posting with a variety of titles and prices from EMs to solid system 11s vs NIB.

I would use it to start a college fund for grandkids.

I'm maxed out on games and room. Like the pins that I have.

My...
Twd pro & dp pro
And some coin in your pocket.

Soopreem

That is literally the worst bang for the buck.

Depends on your space, taste in games, and skill (and interest) in fixing them vs. playing them. If your interest is primarily in playing, and you like modern games, pick up 2 or 3 Stern pro models or WPC titles used (not the repros), don't spend money on toppers or other stupid, useless mods, and just play them. Then rotate them out for others once you're sick of any of them. If you lock in on one title and put a bunch of extra money in it, you'll tire of it (whatever game it is will get old).

If tinkering/fixing is half (or more) of the fun for you, pick up some older games (70's - early 80's).

30 zizzles

Best bang for buck at 12k...(not reflective of personal faves just bfb)

Swords of Fury
Nba fb
Black knight
Star wars/gotg pro

I'm sure I'll think of others but bang for buck that's pretty realistic

Best bang for the buck is 12,000 new balls. I'll go through them eventually!

IMO....
Dont start with EM machines.
Not easy to maintain for most and not easy to find someone to maintain them if needed.

Here is how I would spend your money if I lived near you and I was tasked with buying pinball machines I wanted to play at your house while I come over to drink your beer.

Frontier $2800 ish
Skateball $3000 ish
Future Spa $1750 ish
Hokus Pokus $850 ish
Road Kings $1750 ish
Sorcerer $1850 ish

Total $12,000 ish

Cheers

Three Data East/Sega plus an Arcade1up of choice and foosball table.

Buy the first one that catches your eye, regret it, fix, buy more. Isn’t that how this works?

I have a friend who collects stationary engines
his collection makes us pinball guys look boring
last count he had 2500 mostly working machines

Ps- I shot your dog. You'll thank me when you go platinum

And get ready to be very bored ish very fast ish, then want to sell ish real quick ish.

No way ! Diner / BK2000 / swords / Mousin Around, geez the list goes on & on over Whirlwind, WW = boring, worst layout imo

Invest in bitcoin!

“or very comfortable at the steam baths.”

Is this some kind of a gay slur? I thought you were more ‘enlightened’ up North. Doesn’t your government consider this some kind of ‘hate speech’?

4-5 Pin Line Up that actually follows rules.
Stern Star Trek Pro (2013)- $4500 (Best bang for your buck deep pin and great DMD… you’ll never beat it)
Data East Jurassic Park (1993)-$3500 (Another great fun cheaper pin, rip off of Whirlwind… best “toy” in pinball)
Pinbot (1985)- $2000 (Awesome cheap Alpha-Numeric kids like with easy to understand rules)
Black Knight (1980)- $2000 (Awesome early Solid State with easy to understand rules, easy to learn hard to master).
Loose Change: If you get good deals on the above, add one E.M. pin from 1973 to 1977 for variety in feel. I would recommend sure shot or ships ahoy but most are great.

2 Pin Lineup-
Dialed In (2017)- $7500 (Deep and awesome Lawlor Pin)
Stern Star Trek Pro (2013) – $4500 (Deep and Awesome Ritchie Pin)

Uh..............no.

well u thought wrong.

no idea, no care either

Listen nothing wrong with loving ur time at the Steam Baths and then a few games on Wonka. Its natural.

"Uh..............no.

well u thought wrong."

LOL. OK, then. It was just a totally nonsensical comment, meaning nothing. Got it.

"no idea, no care either"

I would respond to THIS ridiculous assertion, but the mods will warn me to stay out of politics. haha...

"Listen nothing wrong with loving ur time at the Steam Baths and then a few games on Wonka. Its natural."

Again, I don't know what this comment is supposed to mean, but you certainly seem obsessed with these 'Steam Baths'. We can see that you are a totally normal, regular guy.

"I SAID 'GOOD DAY', SIR!"

Gosh that’s not a lot of money

SW pre
TWD pro

or

AFM remake classic
SW pro comic art

Used air hockey table for $150 off fb, used turtles 1up arcade for $250 off fb, valley cougar dart board $550, used pub table $50, a 4500 stern pro of your choice, taxi for $2200, 2 em’s @ $600 a piece, and a judge dredd for 3100. Boom diverse game room everyone can enjoy for 12k.

I GUESS I get it now: "Old guys take steam baths." I was probably 'slow on the uptake', since I'm 53, and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was from my childhood. If you are thinking that 53 year-olds are the 'steam bath generation', you are out of touch. That is like my GRANDPARENTS generation maybe. Wonka is a great game, no matter your age, however.

As to the OP: I would definitely get at least two games. No matter how great, you are going to get tired of one game at home, unless you plan on playing then selling or trading for a different one. I would get one 'fast' game with a lot of flow, and one that has more 'stop and go' with deeper rules. As for specific titles, there are many options and you can research or get advice. Good luck stopping at just one or two! ENJOY!

Pretty sure that was an old man joke, not a gay insult.

I think you’ve tried to read too much into his post.

No way in hell is one game worth $12K in this scenario. I wouldn’t take a JJP Potc or GnR LE that are greater than $12K.

JJP Potc is a perfect example of diminishing returns on money when you can get 2-3 great pins for the cost.

Anyway if this is serious the best bang for buck is Stern pros (Met, IronMan, SW, SM, ST, Met, TWD, DP, Tspp, maiden, JP etc.) and the CGC classic (AFM ~6300).

"Pretty sure that was an old man joke, not a gay insult.
I think you’ve tried to read too much into his post."

I appreciate it. I figured it out just before your post. I wasn't trying to read anything into it, but even as an "old man joke" it is just so DATED. I mean, Jesus, does he think we're 90? haha...