Newb Advice

jay

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Hello all,

I would like some advice on what could be my 1st purchase. Space invaders (Midway cabinet)

Guy wants 200 and he states it has "garbled graphics". So understanding that, I'm probably going to put more money into it to get the PCB repaired or replaced. He also says the cabinet is in "great condition" and no burn in on the monitor. The pics make it look like it's in great condition so of course will have to see it in person.

The reason I am looking at this particular unit is because its the cheapest I can find in my area. I'm really not finding much in the Seattle area for cheap. Being that I have never owned one of these things, I want to start off low budget and use this machine as my "learning" machine" (break it down and learn the parts).

So with everyones advice I can possibly talk this guy down a bit if it's worth the hassle.

Thanks for your time.
 
pricing is soooo subjective, as you will see discussed on here from time to time if you choose to frequent this forum.

$200 is higher than I would pay for a game if it's not working.
Easy to say without seeing it of couse.

2 years ago it may have sold for well more than $200.

I would try to egyptian slave him down a bit if it were me.
 
I see tons of cheap games in Seattle Cl, but they're always out of my way. Keep waiting, and surf the Cl, you'll find more.

I'd tell him $100 for a none working game. Odds are though, you might get lucky and just need to pull the harness pins off and reseat them.
 
Thanks guys. I really didn't want my 1st post to be about "what should I pay". I understand the subjective pricing. I just have no idea what I'm doing. I have a friend on here who is very experienced with this, but I've hit him up a few times this week on other machines I've found. I thought I would give him a break for the weekend :)
 
Most everyone overpays for a game when they are new to the hobby. But in my opinion, today's economy gives you literally no excuse to do so. Talk him down and walk away if he wont haggle (unless you really want it). There are better bargains out there, do the research. I can usually talk a seller down simply by offering cash and getting the game "out of their hair" right away.

SI Boards can be a pain. I dont think I've ever seen one that wasnt missing a sound or two at least (common problem with these). They can be repaired, but IMO not a good project for a newbie. I suggest finding a game with a bum monitor or power supply, just my two cents.
 
don't count on the no screen burn. It will have some if it was ever on...

As for the price, broken, that seems high(unless it was really nice). If you have the skills to fix the pcb, thats great, if not plan on $100-$200 more to send it off to be fixed.

Do you really want a space invaders? If its something want, then buy it. But don't bet on being able to sell it easy.. So keep that in mind.

I would go with a jamma cabinet for my 1st game. Something like street fighter. If you go vertical jamma, you can drop in a 48 in 1 board and play space invaders..
 
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