Should I buy this Smash TV game?

Kongerman

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I have an opportunity to buy a smash tv dedicated cab game today, everything is in excellent condition, all original, all graphics there, controls work, 25" monitor, etc. They are asking $500 for it. My question is: is it worth $500? What should I look for when checking it out? Anything else I should know?

This could be my first arcade game so I'm a little nervous about dropping the cash. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
 
does it have the original wico balltop leaf sticks or have they been swapped out?

$500 is just about what it's worth retail, so the lower you can get them to go the better ;-)
 
Yes I believe it still has the original controls as well. So $500 being retail, that is basically what it would cost to buy a refurbished one from a business?

Should I open it up and look at anything on the inside? What if anything should I look at?
 
Kidvidiot: This one is 25", what price would be reasonable?

The lowest you are willing to pay would be reasonable. If it were me I'd shoot for $300. If not $400 would be my max but I'd have to be sure that it's something I planned to keep for a long time if I were you.
 
i've seen them go for $300 in good condition. it's all about location and timing tho. $500 isn't un reasonable but it's not a steal.

if you got a chance to see the inside, i'd look to see how dirty/clean it is, the condition of the factory/current wiring, water/rodent damage? and check the monitor for burn in.

i prefer the 25" over the 19" but the 19 is a bit more rare.

$400 is what i would want to pay as well for one in close to mint condition with original sticks
 
the sides and the marquee should be red. If it's red, you can pay more, if it's yellow pay less

if you find a nice red "SMASH" marquee you'll be extremely lucky so i wouldn't base price off the marquee.
 
I have an opportunity to buy a smash tv dedicated cab game today, everything is in excellent condition, all original, all graphics there, controls work, 25" monitor, etc. They are asking $500 for it. My question is: is it worth $500? What should I look for when checking it out? Anything else I should know?

This could be my first arcade game so I'm a little nervous about dropping the cash. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks

One thing to consider is will they deliver it or do you need to get it, and if you need to get it do you have a truck / straps / any kind of dolly you might need to get it into your place?

Personally I'm rocking a sedan, so even a CHEAP / LOCAL machine would cost me around $150 to get it (rent a truck, plus gas, plus mileage, plus insurance + hassle) all in so that may sway me one way or the other, because a $400-$500 machine is a lot different than a "$400-$500 machine delivered".
 
whatever you end up doing, the first buying experience will leave you with a thousand good things you didn't realize before you handed over the cash. :)

if this is the one game you always wanted and it's one you are going to keep then the price doesn't so much matter.

if you are just buying for entertainment and going to try turning it over in a few months to a year. be ready to lose some money, and remember what you gained in wisdom and fun is probably about equal trade-off

good luck and have fun!
 
let me give you an example.

i bought a robotron, from someone on KLOV.
it was solid but cosmetically not perfect and didn't even play properly when i picked it up.
paid a solid price for it $550 (he was asking $700) because they supply is terrible in my part of the midwest.

spent a few months fixing it. had monitor issues and some board issues.
--learned a whole bunch about williams games because i had to find the info.

got it working decent after putting about $200 more in it.
--had a bunch of fun dialing in the game of robotron and mastering it.
then it started having some new chip/board issues.

sold it to a friend who was happy to pay $730 because he loves the game.
and he's going to put another $300 in it for professional board work and cosmetics, etc.

and the flipside- his buddy just found a robotron on CL for $450 in perfect cosmetic and playing condition.

so it's really not a game of money. it's all about an adventure, eh?
 
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Condition Condition Condition.

Condition of the cab..Art work is expensive to replace & Swelled wood is not an easy project to fix.
Condition of the monitor. There is no magic way to remove screen burn.
Condition of the controls. Worn out or the wrong controls can be expensive to replace.
Condition of the board. Does it has a lot of repairs on it? This could be a sign that the board experienced a major surge and it a weaken board prone to failure.
Condition of the harness. Nothing like Loose power wires to shorten the life of your cab.
 
if you like the game, I would say its worth $500 if its nice. I would not sell mine for $500...

Check the control panel overlay and marquee. Red tends to fade on the side art and especially the marquee.

The cab is jamma, so you can play other games in it. Total carnage is a direct drop in. Other games would be more effort.
 
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