Looking at a Pac-Man cabinet

bungy

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I went to check out a Pac-Man cabinet tonight and I couldn't agree on a price with the seller. He was asking for nearly $1000. I lowballed at $300 citing flakey power cable, burned monitor, and overall condition of it.

There were plenty of gouges in the wood & t-molding and the CPO was chipped all over the place, but the cabinet is structurally sound and fully working, and the side art is in decent shape considering it is almost 30 years old, but it's still pretty beat up. The internals looked all original.

He came back with $600 but would not go lower. I thought $300 to $400 would have been a good price considering it would need a lot of TLC. This is potentially my first cabinet acquisition; do you think I am off-base on the price I'm trying to get it for?

Also, is there anything else I should be looking at when buying a working cabinet for a mild restoration?
 
If the monitor was burned pretty badly and the cabinet itself was so so I think $300 was great plenty. 30 years old or not, beat is beat. I've seen 25+ year old games that are in awesme shape. I've seen others that should've been put to death a long time ago.

I hate the line (good for it's age). No, the cabinet is beat to shit and will require lots of money and time to restore ahole.

He's looking for someone that doesn't care about the physical appearance but wants to play Pac Man. But even at $600 .... no friggin way.

BTW- anytime you work with a PAC cabinet there is a TON of work if you have to deal with the side art.
 
Take a look at eBay or similar; I'd be surprised if you couldn't find a great example that needs nothing for the price he's looking for. I bought a beat-to-hell cabinet last month w/ a Jr. Pac Man board and no monitor on eBay for $43.

Pac Man is one of the most popular games of all time, with 100k+ cabinets sold. Don't be afraid to low ball on the price... there are plenty of other examples out there.

Good luck! And don't be afraid to walk away!
 
Thanks for the advice and tips! I'm going to hold firm at $300 and if I don't get it, I don't get it.
 
Arcade stuff comes up pretty regularly on Craigslist and eBay from the DE/PA/NJ area. TNT Amusements has a Pac Man listed for sale on their web site for $1100, which I'm sure is in better shape than the one you were looking at.

FWIW, my $43 cabinet was located in Chester, PA.
 
Thanks for the advice and tips! I'm going to hold firm at $300 and if I don't get it, I don't get it.

Sometimes that's the key... not caring too much. People can tell when you're "needy" and when you're not. Put the $300 offer out, leave your number, and walk away. You may be surprised. :)
 
I agree... a good way to respectfully stand firm on $300 would be to tell the guy that if he gets to a point where $300 is attractive and he wants it gone, you have cash, a truck, and a dolly to come pick it up.
 
I agree... a good way to respectfully stand firm on $300 would be to tell the guy that if he gets to a point where $300 is attractive and he wants it gone, you have cash, a truck, and a dolly to come pick it up.

Take the cash out of your pocket and make sure he sees it in your hand. Money not only talks, but sometimes it yells and interrupts.
 
All good stuff. I know of TNT (they have a great infomercial) and I know they put a lot of hard work into restoring their cabinets which justifies their price, but I'm just not looking to spend that kind of money.
On another note, I went to look at a working Jungle King this morning expecting a similar situation, but the cab was in fantastic condition. It was like night and day comparing it to the Pac-Man. I gave the guy his asking price and it is now in my basement. My first original dedicated cabinet! I'll post some pics in another thread soon.
 
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