Hello to all! Newbie here.

[Bigbossfan]

Just wanted to say hello to everyone. I always thought pinball was dead and gone, till my buddy had me over to his place a few months back and let me play his AC/DC LE. When I was a kid, loved pinball and after playing his machine realized I still loved pinball! :lol: So now, to add to my addition in my man cave I'm looking at getting my first pin to go along with my pool table and MAME machine. So close to pulling the trigger on a Avengers Hulk LE or Avengers Blue LE....but find it hard to do so because of the cost.

So, question to all you vets.......first pin. Should I/would you go new or used??

 

[WARLOCK]

Welcome aboard to the obsession.

I personally would take whatever your budget is and buy a working EM, SS and DMD if you can afford it.
That is making the assumption you have space for 3 and you like older machines from all the era's as well.

Others would buy a new Stern with their buget and be happy with one new game. To each their own.
Good luck with your decision.
Enjoy.

 

[Menace]

Only suggestion is buy what you like and can afford. Being new to the hobby I highly suggest whatever you pickup is fully working, as diving into a project has ruined the hobby for many new people. As for new vs used, it doesn't really matter... pinball machines will break, it's just the nature of the beast. And when they do, you call me to come fix them.

Welcome to the club! Don't be afraid to ask questions.

D

 

[mwong168]

I would say better to buy used and here is a pretty good deal on an Avengers LE on kijiji for $6000 obo... I know some people paid $7400 or $7800 all in brand new.

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell ... Z518358785

What is your budget on a pinball as I am known to be quite the 'enabler' and have broken many newbies into the hobby and spending other people's money. I can provide many positive references too if you need them Welcome to the board and hobby!

-Mike

 

[frolic]

Hello, welcome to the revolution .

I just celebrated my first year in pinball, it's a fast slide down the rabbit hole.

My advice: buy something you LIKE. Buying used means you won't have to face much or any depreciation on resale. Buy NIB is fine if you think you'll keep the game a long time. I'm a Hulk LE owner and I love it and I'm not selling it anytime soon so the current market value is irrelevant. But now is a good time to buy a used once since they're finding the market price.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Welcome to a new obsession

I'll echo what others have already said-buy something that works to start with. Brand new is a good option if you can afford it and there's a title you want, but you can also find some of the same games out there HUO (Home Use Only) for a lot less than new (and still under warranty). Buying from another collector is also a good idea-just about everyone on here is reasonably honest about their games. When in doubt-ASK though-it's a small enough community, so scammers and assholes are usually pretty well known (and they are out there).

If you're not sure what you want though, or just want to play a whole lot of pinball, start coming out for TOPL. You don't have to be super competitive, you'll meat a good bunch of people, and get to play just about every A list game on the market. It also gives you something to do on Monday nights!

 

[DRANO]

Hey!
Welcome. Good to have another voice on the forums.
I sorta like Warlock's approach. If your budget is anywhere close to a new in box Stern LE, I would consider a couple of used games or, even as suggested, one from each era.

A very nice electromechanical from the 70's will run you $600-$800 and give you that classic old school pin experience. They're awesome because the objectives are easy to grasp, they're tough and keep you coming back for more, and the chimes and artwork are really cool.

Then an early SS (solid state) from the 80s. Lots of great options that are under $2000...
many close to $1000!

Finally, a modern DMD from the early 1990s right up to today. Also plent of options in the $2500-$3500 that won't break the bank.

Space permitting, you'd have three games for less than the price of an LE and a lot of diversity

Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions regarding games or anything. Lots of experience here.
Adriano.

 

[spiroagnew]

Welcome! Buy what turns your crank, not what the masses tell you! Stick within a set budget and reassess when you buy your (inevitable) next machine.

As others have said, make sure your first is machine is in good working order...learn along the way when "little" things go wrong...and pray they are little!

Anyhow, welcome to the madness...

 

[bstock]

Welcome to the hobby! Maybe try to make it out to the Ottawa pinball show which is happening in a couple of weeks. It would give you a chance to check out upwards of 100 games and you could really see what you like. Who knows it might be something significantly less expensive than the Avengers LE.

 

[Bigbossfan]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, very much appreciated. BStock, you must have read my mind. My buddy is going to it and I was thinking about going too! I most likely will.

 

[Bigbossfan]

Well, been out looking at a few pins now.....and man this is a very hard decision!! The ones I really like are a little out of my price range (ok, a little might be an understatement!). Almost feel if I "settle" for something within my budget I'm going to grow bored with it in a very short timeframe. Guess I'll keep saving my pennies until the right pin smacks me in the face and yells "buy me".

 

[Luckydogg420]

Ive bought a couple economic pins ($300-$800) then once bored of them, I've traded them in for a better game. If you don't overpay for a pin, then it's fairly easy to sell them and get your money back out. if you have room for a couple games, then you can play your savings and get a feel for a couple different games.