The Jurassic Park that got away...

Purple Tophat

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I'm depressed. I've wanted a pinball machine for my whole life. The wife wants a pinball machine too. We decided that if we can find one that we want for under $1,000 we're going to give it to ourselves as our 1 year wedding anniversary gift.

So today (after a ton of searching) I found a listing for a Jurassic Park at a family fun center for $800. We were super excited!! They were going to hold it for us for a few hours while we waited for my brother to drive the hour and half down with his truck. He drove all the way here and so I called back to tell them that we were leaving and we'd be there in an hour, and the lady says oh... then puts me on with another woman who tells me they just sold it!!! Right out from under me. Why tell me they'd hold it if they had no intention of doing so?

I'm supposed to be playing Jurassic Park right now. I was supposed to have fulfilled a dream today! Frustrating. So, if anyone knows the person who bought a Jurassic Park from a family fun center in Crete IL, tell them I hope they enjoy my machine. Grrrr...

Oh who am I kidding? I should have just bought it on the extra gas and not had them hold it, but driven down there separate from my brother to ensure that I was the first one there. I should know you can trust people's word these days. Anybody have a decent Jurassic Park they want to sell me for $800? I have cash!
 
I feel for you, but if I had a $1 for every buyer I've had flake out on me I'd be a rich man. Every time I have held a machine or turned another buyer away because I already had someone that said they want to buy it I've gotten burned.

Now I'm upfront in telling people I can't hold an it unless they have money down on it.
 
Yeah. Thanks. I totally get that. I just hope I find another deal like this one. I don't want to regret this one as the one that got away!

Any ideas where to look to find good prices on machines in the Chicago area? Anyone? I got really psyched for this machine, and now I'm kind of in the mode of having to find one! Soon!
 
That sucks, but that's entirely how it is these days with so many professional flippers around.

After speaking with a seller on the phone and verifying that they still have their machine for sale, if you don't immediately hop in your truck and haul-ass to them with cash in-hand, you're gonna miss out.

(Even then it's not a guarantee you'll beat out the flippers and actually score, but it's your best bet.)
 
Drive there right away and pay for it take it to the parking lot and wait for your brother to meet you with the truck when you see a deal like that!
 
There are lots of places in the Chicago area to get working, over-priced pinball machines.

Then there are the places where you find one that needs work.

I'd suggest using Craigslist and eBay, and looking in the local area. You'll turn up something.

My best score was a Bally Monte Carlo and a Williams Shangri-La, that I picked up from the same seller on eBay, with the total for both less than $500. They needed work, but I got them both back to 100%, and donated them to a local catholic school for a fundraiser (1 per year).

The Monte Carlo was beautiful - I shouldn't have sold it, and it sold for around $850. The Shangri-La wasn't as nice and pretty, and the backglass was in sad shape - that one sold for around $900.

I you wanted an arcade game, I have a guy in Morris with a Terminator 2, a Missile Command upright, and a Deer Hunting USA game for sale. All are working (although the MC needs a trackball kit, and someone fouled up the guns on T2 - the triggers aren't right).
 
Thanks guys.

Drive there right away and pay for it take it to the parking lot and wait for your brother to meet you with the truck when you see a deal like that!

Yeah as soon as they said they'd sold it, it occurred to me that I should have done that. Stupid. I'll know better next time. Just hoping there is a next time.

I think at this point for the small budget I have, and the fact that I want a good machine, I need start looking for machines that need restoration. I mean, I wanted a bad-ass purple VW Bug, so I built one. I want a wicked 4-player arcade cabinet, so I'm building one. Why not do the same thing with a pinball machine, right?

I haven't really looked around, but I assume between this site and Pinside, I can get all the tutorials I need to fix up a machine, yeah?

I found a possible Cirqus Voltaire that I might be able to get, but it needs a lot of work. I think the playfield is ok. I don't see any paint missing, but it does look like it might be faded. I know the Dot matrix display is trashed, a bunch of lights are out, the rubber all needs to be replaced, one of the round bumper things doesn't bump, and there are a couple broken plastics. How much work are we talking about? How much money are we talking about? I'd want to do a full conversion to LED on any machine I bought. That can't be too hard, right? I mean you have a positive and a negative...

What would I be getting into? Are parts hard to find? Can I do this?

Any advice would be great! I won't give up on the dream, I may just need to turn it into a project, which suits me just fine as long as it isn't a money pit!!!
 
If you're on a budget, a game like Circuis Voltaire is likely out of your range. When you buy a pin like that for less than $1000, I get the impression it often needs several more thousand in parts to get it up and running. It's a great game though (better than JP in my opinion).

You might do better with a late 80s Williams. You may be able to find a decent Taxi or something like it for $1500 or so.

You might get lucky on craigslist too, but unless you're ready to drop everything and scoop it then be prepared for a repeat of what just happened.
 
I paid $1475 for my JP in decent working condition. That was about 2 months ago. The screening on the sides is a bit worn but otherwise it's in decent shape. I felt I got a steal on the machine at THAT price. Now I can't find a JP for less than 2,000. In most cases I see them at $2500 and up. I doubt you'll ever see another $800 JP. The pin market has exploded and will only get worse closer to Christmas.
 
Thanks guys.



Yeah as soon as they said they'd sold it, it occurred to me that I should have done that. Stupid. I'll know better next time. Just hoping there is a next time.

I think at this point for the small budget I have, and the fact that I want a good machine, I need start looking for machines that need restoration. I mean, I wanted a bad-ass purple VW Bug, so I built one. I want a wicked 4-player arcade cabinet, so I'm building one. Why not do the same thing with a pinball machine, right?

I haven't really looked around, but I assume between this site and Pinside, I can get all the tutorials I need to fix up a machine, yeah?

I found a possible Cirqus Voltaire that I might be able to get, but it needs a lot of work. I think the playfield is ok. I don't see any paint missing, but it does look like it might be faded. I know the Dot matrix display is trashed, a bunch of lights are out, the rubber all needs to be replaced, one of the round bumper things doesn't bump, and there are a couple broken plastics. How much work are we talking about? How much money are we talking about? I'd want to do a full conversion to LED on any machine I bought. That can't be too hard, right? I mean you have a positive and a negative...

What would I be getting into? Are parts hard to find? Can I do this?

Any advice would be great! I won't give up on the dream, I may just need to turn it into a project, which suits me just fine as long as it isn't a money pit!!!

And if you decide to get the CV and just want to trade it for nice working/shopped machines, you won't have a problem doing that. I (along with others I am sure) would be more than happy to trade nice working games for a rough CV. It is the only game I have owned besides Wheel of Fortune that my wife is disappointed I sold...
 
i saw that ad too. I called seconds after it was listed. They never called me back. I really didnt want it though. But hey for $800 bucks, cant go wrong
 
JP Pin in Crete? I've seen that pin personally last time I visited the Arcade. Can't remember if I played it or not.

Hell the place is only a half hour drive give or take. Had I known I might of been all over it myself. Sucks that it was sold, after they said they would hold it. But I look at it this way, I don't own anything until it's in the back of my truck and I'm leaving the parking lot.
 
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