I can't decide...

Frax

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2011
Messages
2,718
Reaction score
11
Location
Dallas, Texas
I'm a sucker for low prices, probably to my detriment.

I have two options right now to get a Space Station.

One is from an op, condition effectively unknown, has been sitting 7 years, was never used after they bought it but working at the time. Don't have any way to provide pictures. Had been previously routed I'm assuming, he said it has average wear for a 20 year old machine. Will need rubbers and shopping. It's 600$ plus 140$ in gas and 12 hours driving round trip.

Other one is from a collector, says condition is good but can't provide any pictures at all due to his emal supposedly not working. Says he can't get gmail/webmail to work either (!?). Everything is working and should not require an immediate full shopout. 800$ + shipping, around 300$. Probably 1100-1200$ total.

I'm thinking about sending the second guy a blank USB stick and seeing if can put some pictures on it and send it back. I'd pay for postage both ways.

The only reason I'm even remotely considering the project machine is that Space Station will run off 11A boards as well. I've got Pinbot, I would just need to get the roms and swap them out to get the project machine up and running if it doesn't start, and work from there.
 
I would try to offer like $450 on that routed machine, get those negotiating skills out my man!

1100-1200 just seems like too much for this machine, esp from someone who can't work an email...

Just my thoughts
 
Neither one of those deals seems pretty good. Unless you are very hot for that particular game, I'd pass or low-ball them.

Been looking for one for 6 months. Was looking for one when I picked up the 200$ Pinbot if that tells you anything, lol.

I know the price guides list these pretty cheap, but frankly, I have not been able to find them anywhere near what they're listed. They haven't been showing up on ebay, and the ones on retailer sites they're asking like 2000$ for them. I'm afraid I'm a victim of pinflation here. :|
 
I'm a sucker for low prices, probably to my detriment.

I have two options right now to get a Space Station.

One is from an op, condition effectively unknown, has been sitting 7 years, was never used after they bought it but working at the time. It's 600$ plus 140$ in gas and 12 hours driving round trip.

Other one is from a collector, says condition is good but can't provide any pictures at all due to his emal supposedly not working. Says he can't get gmail/webmail to work either (!?). Everything is working and should not require an immediate full shopout. 800$ + shipping, around 300$. Probably 1100-1200$ total.

I'm thinking about sending the second guy a blank USB stick and seeing if can put some pictures on it and send it back. I'd pay for postage both ways.

Let me provide a personal anecdote. I trusted a west coast EM refurbisher and over paid for a Gottlieb Wedghead that was not nearly as refurbished and "like new" as advertised.

If I had demanded pictures prior to paying the balance due, I would have saved myself a cool $1,750 plus the heart ache of owning a haf ass restoration of a classic Gottlieb Wedghead.

So before you agree to buy anything that requires shipping, insist on getting pictures. If they cannot or will not provide current pictures, you need to let the deal go and keep looking.

My $1,750 worth...

Marcus
 
Yeah. I'm gonna call him and see if he'll do the USB stick pictures if his email isn't fixed yet. I'm not shipping it without pics, lol. :)

I will drive 12 hours if the price was right on the other one, but not paying 300$ to ship it without pics. At least I can stop in OKC *and* Wichita if I drive to the other one and see family in both places. :p
 
anyone can post pictures on a free hosting website.

also, we've had working space stations in florida for around $500.00. both prices are a bit wacky. count on battery acid board damage on the one sitting for 7 years.
 
anyone can post pictures on a free hosting website.

also, we've had working space stations in florida for around $500.00. both prices are a bit wacky. count on battery acid board damage on the one sitting for 7 years.

Great, find me one and hook me up with shipping, because you couldn't pay me to set foot in that state again. Both times I've been there had horrible experiences. :|

Not really interested in all the hypothetical scenarios here...I'm asking about the options I have, not the ones that may exist at some point in time, if I wait a long time, and by then I probably will have just purchased something else locally. :p

Good point about the battery acid though.
 
Neither of those deals sounds very good.. in fact rather lousy actually.

Have you tried posting a WTB on RGP? If ou are willing to ship you have a
lot more options to buy a decent machine sold by a collector in the community.

If I had to choose between the two.. I'd go with the OP. You get to go
there and see it before laying down your cash. You know exactly what
you are getting into.

The guy with zero email/camera skills seems shady. You wont know what
you bought until it shows up at your door.
 
Neither of those deals sounds very good.. in fact rather lousy actually.

Have you tried posting a WTB on RGP? If ou are willing to ship you have a
lot more options to buy a decent machine sold by a collector in the community.

If I had to choose between the two.. I'd go with the OP. You get to go
there and see it before laying down your cash. You know exactly what
you are getting into.

The guy with zero email/camera skills seems shady. You wont know what
you bought until it shows up at your door.

Gotta agree here. A buddy of mine had a Space Station. The guy we got it from had SS and Pinbot and wanted $1000 for the pair, so I got the PB for $500 he got the SS for $500. The guy said he had a bunch of people wanting the PB but NO interest in the SS, but he wouldn't split the pair up. A few months later my buddy needed cash to buy a house and he ended up selling the SS on craigslist for $725 and it took a while. I liked the game and wish I had the cash at the time to buy it as I know he would have given it to me for the $500 he got it for. I really don't think the game is worth much more than the $700-$800 mark 100% working. I am a cheap ass though, so take this for what it's worth lol.
 
My 2 cents, neither of these sound all that great, and neither can send a pic? That's pretty weak. Even if they can't email a few pics, most everyone's got a cell phone camera, or has a friend who has one that they could borrow to send a picture text. The "collector" sounds shady. The operator I can sorta understand b/c stuff gets buried in storage, they're busy, etc.

However, you've been hunting for a while and really want this machine, so picking between the two situations, I'd lean towards the op's machine. At least you can lay eyeballs on it before plunking down any big money. It's easier to negotiate the price down in person; seems like 350-450 might be an all right deal, if you can talk him down, depending on how much works it needs. If it turns out to be a total POS, you get back in your car and leave and all you're out is your gas money and time, but you've got a story to tell and you can continue looking.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm going to contact the op back and see if we can work something out for me to go see it after I get back from vacation and TPF...

If he still has it in a month, maybe he'll be a bit more eager to negotiate, or to sell me one of his 2 Stargates, or 4 Super Mario Bros. My money will still be there, I just need to take a deeeeeeeep breath and calm the F down, lol.

Maybe will try RGP as well.
 
Back
Top Bottom