Some Advice concerning a Pinball Auction -- Seems Suspicious
I don't own a Pin machine. I haven't pulled the glass and worked on one since I was 12 and even then -- it wasn't major surgery. Replaced some solenoids on my grandpa's 1970's vintage machine - with his help.
I've been wanting to buy a Data East Star Wars or Indy for a couple of years, just haven't pulled the trigger. This week, I saw this auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130773535493?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619
I've talked to the guy on the phone a few times and he seems agreeable enough. He almost seems too flexible.
The thing that concerns me is that he says he hasn't tried to power on the machine -- and basically refuses to on the basis of it has been sitting awhile and needs to be looked over first.
That just seems a little suspicious to me.
So, advice.. Going at this from Murphy's Law. What do you see as the worst case scenario on this machine? I pay the guy his $1800, pay Northern $400 to get it to 36527, it arrives -- what are the worst things that can be wrong with the machine and their potential cost / availability of parts to fix?
I'm not looking for a show-piece, collectible, so much as a in-home-use machine that I hope to pass down to my kids one day. Though, I do have this inclination to want to restore things to make them "near perfect."
Thanks in advance!
I don't own a Pin machine. I haven't pulled the glass and worked on one since I was 12 and even then -- it wasn't major surgery. Replaced some solenoids on my grandpa's 1970's vintage machine - with his help.
I've been wanting to buy a Data East Star Wars or Indy for a couple of years, just haven't pulled the trigger. This week, I saw this auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130773535493?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619
I've talked to the guy on the phone a few times and he seems agreeable enough. He almost seems too flexible.
The thing that concerns me is that he says he hasn't tried to power on the machine -- and basically refuses to on the basis of it has been sitting awhile and needs to be looked over first.
That just seems a little suspicious to me.
So, advice.. Going at this from Murphy's Law. What do you see as the worst case scenario on this machine? I pay the guy his $1800, pay Northern $400 to get it to 36527, it arrives -- what are the worst things that can be wrong with the machine and their potential cost / availability of parts to fix?
I'm not looking for a show-piece, collectible, so much as a in-home-use machine that I hope to pass down to my kids one day. Though, I do have this inclination to want to restore things to make them "near perfect."
Thanks in advance!
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