I am a collector that doesn't have unlimited funds. My approach has always been "why but a new stern when I could get any two bw pins that fall under the 'good game, crappy theme' category.
I have only been in the hobby for 3-4 years, so I have a T2, DM, and JM that Were all in the low to mid 2k range. Lately it seems as though people are listing stuff like JD, BSD and JM at around $3500 and 3k on the low end.
As prices for this type of game approach 4k, my mentality is changing to "just save a little more and buy a 1-2 year old Stern for 5k"
All that being said I have seen some stuff sit on craigslist here in STL for a LONG time, so its not like everyone is biting on these prices.