Hey,

I live in an area where pinball machines are kind of few and far between, and I have been trying to track down a TSPP for a pretty long time. Not a life-changing amount of time, but I'd say it's been over a year. Long enough.

My criteria for it were this:

1) Very good shape. Nice is relative, but I meant HUO or exceptionally well cared for if it had been on route. No wear around the cabinet buttons, which from what I've seen is pretty common on this machine. No wear on the playfield. Plays strong. That sort of thing. I don't know if any new era Sterns have attained the status of "collector's quality" quite yet, but to make a comparison, if the machine I was buying was a Twilight Zone, I would like it to toe that line between really freakin' nice and collector's quality.

2) A reasonable price. I couldn't say, "I am willing to spend $3,500 on this machine, and that's it", because prices move, and I knew this was going to be a long search. When I first started kicking tires and wasn't overly serious about the thing, I found a HUO for sale for that price. I know that I'll likely never find one in that shape for that price again, and that's fine. The price moved. Such is life.

3) Within a reasonable travelling distance. I have relatives in the Minneapolis area, and am there on average two or three times a year. So, for me, that 750 mile drive one way isn't unreasonable.

The point of this exercise is that within the past week, I found one an hour outside of Minneapolis in the shape I want for a price I was willing to pay. I didn't do it on paper, but in my head, I had said, "I want a really nice TSPP for somewhere in the ballpark of the going rate, and I'm willing to drive 750 miles for it; maybe a bit more." By having a definite "this is what I want" plan laid out, I knew it was what I wanted when I saw it.

Getting to the point (and I think I'll actually do this on paper for the next pins): everyone has criteria. From what I gather, yours might look something like this:

1) I want a Funhouse. It doesn't have to be immaculate, but I don't want the life beaten out of it on route (I don't know this, but I'm making a reasonable guess because you didn't specify).
2) I'm willing to pay the going rate. I'm not going to pay $1,000 over just to get one, but I don't expect to find one for $1,000, either.
3) I won't do trades.
4) I'm willing to drive at least four hours (this is based upon you saying one sold before you made the four hour drive).
5) No shipping.

If that's accurate, cool; if not, tweak it until it is. VERY long story short? If you know exactly what you're looking for, it'll make you happier in the long run. If might take longer, it might not be cheaper, but when you get that game, you'll have exactly what you want. Just my two cents.

Luke