I've collected video arcade games for over 16 years and this past year I finally got my first pinball. I got an Earthshaker that I had to shop/restore. It had a nice playfield and cabinet but was beat up from not being shopped for years. I put a ton of time and parts into it and it came out great. This past weekend I traded it for a very nice WCS94. The family LOVES that game. The gameplay and theme fit us very well.

I'm currently selling a few more vids from my collection that are not long term keepers for me personally. My plan is to take this money plus some other cash I've been saving and getting a second pin. I know of all the great A-titles out there that I would love to have, but I think I ultimately will only end up with about $1,500 - $1,600 to spend on a decent game. I want to get a good DMD game, with a solid rules set and a family-friendly theme. I don't want something I'd have to put hundreds of dollars into restoring. I don't mind doing a typical shop job with rubbers and a few other parts but don't want to have to fully rebuild a playfield or do any kind of artwork restoration. I'd rather put what I can towards the best machine possible.

When trying to figure out what I would want next, I've been looking though Pinside quite a bit at all the machines I really like to play. I've also been reading through the Marketplace forum. I saw a W?D not far away that would be a fun game but they were asking $1800 and the pinside "estimated value" was $1200 - 1400. Do those estimated values usually run low or are they for the most part accurate? I like that game and the $1400 seems low to me.

Anyway, I know there are some great pins out there in this price range. What recommendations would you have for me to look into? I'm in the Midwest in the South Bend, IN area and would be willing to do some decent driving if the right machine were available. I don't want to ship.

Thanks!

Jeff Waldron
http://www.jeffsgames.com

Thanks Melbourne. I heard that LAH is pretty cool but never played it. I'll check it out! Also thanks for the links. I've never heard of Mr. Pinball.

@Dung, thanks for the recommendations. WPT would be my choice of any of those. I really like that pin. The other titles look great too! How much are you asking for JP? I spend a lot of time in Indy so I'd possibly be interested.

@EchoVictor, that's exactly what kind of list I'm looking for. Thanks for the heads up. Now to find one of those machines for sale nearby once the vids I have for sale finally sell. Very cool!