"Plays blind." -- I've been down THAT road before.
If you haven't already left, here are questions to ask the seller:
- When was the last time the picture worked?
- Is the volume working correctly? Adjustable (points to ARII board)?
- Original wiring? Not converted to switching power supply?
- Coin mechs, lights, and counter working? What's the game totals if there's a counter?
- Manuals?
- What type of monitor?
- Back in place?
- Locks?
- How does the trackball feel? Are the rollers shot?
I'd try to find out more about why the monitor is out. If there's neck glow or not, if the tube displays anything, etc. Get the monitor's chassis type if you can. Parts may not be available, depending on the type of chassis.
I'd never pay more than $200 for a cab with no monitor, whether or not the tube is present or not. You just never know what you're getting into. I once got a cab where the seller swore up and down that 'the monitor was just working one day, and then it went out.' Turns out the neck was snapped. So I had a cab with a big paperweight in it. Argh. Get some details.
There's 3 types of arcade owners out there -- those that own and don't care to fix, those that fix when broke, and those that don't know how to fix. If he says he doesn't know how to fix it, then you've got him over a barrel. He can't fix it himself, which means he's already asked around to find out how much repair is, and knows it's upwards of $150 to get a monitor repaired.
That's a $200 cab, IF the other aspects are all present and accounted for. Anything else from my list that's wrong, start knocking off more money. It's broken, and he's motivated. Good place for negotiation.
