Worst Game Pick-up todate

copious

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I've picked-up games on Rainy days and in basements with 14 steps but this one was the a Jerry Springer pick-up.

The game TRON in a basement in South Amboy, NJ the homes in South Amboy are probably 50-100 years old built about 20 feet apart with basement hieght at about 6 feet. I agree thanks to BUNGY on a price and head over to pick it up.

The girl says she rents and the landlord said they can clear the basement out. I get some help from her cousin and we manage to remove the game. during this I realize the previous renters left it because it was tough to get it out.

The fun began that once the game was about to be loaded in my car the neighbor comes out an older lady and her son. (shes the landlord) at which time the fight ensues. Apparently it was OK to clean out the basement as long as no money was being made. Once she figured that cash was going to be exchanged allhell broke loose.

After they exchanged word I offered to put it back in the basement. Neither wanted that I told them that you might not have to love thy nieghbor but you do have to live next to them and might want to start to get along. They agreed and I loaded up the tron.

An awkward moment over.
 
Wow. Now I'm glad I didn't go all the way up there to deal with that. But congrats on the pickup though, glad everything worked out.

BTW she told me it was only 4 steps to get it out!
 
I offered 250 after the drama I paid 230. Fair price for the game considering condition which is easily restorable. I'll send pics of the cab once I can as for pics of the people I feared getting shot at the time so I wasn't going to break out the camera.

The best part was as I paid the 'renter' she told me she was pregant, believe me she didn't need any more mouths to feed.

The wierdest thing was the renter owed the landlord 145.00 and the landlord owed the renter 100.00. I really just wanted the TRON.
 
Must be a Tron curse or something- I had to pull mine down a rickety, barley wide enough for the game homemade staircase covered in slippery morning rain.

Glad you got out with the game unharmed and spread some words of wisdom to the unwise :D
 
Bungy found it on craigslist If I knew it was the renter selling junk in the basement I would have said 100.00 but I really want to restore a TRON so I was willing to pay for a solid cab.
 
Did you read the thread about someone going to buy a game and it turned out they were buying it from a renter, and the real owner showed up as they were loading it, and the renter/landlord fight got really, really ugly? For a second I thought it was going to end up like that. :D

Cool that you scored the game at least. In the other story, the buyer had to leave empty-handed... :(
 
After carrying that up from that basement I was leaving with it or the sledge hammer was coming out. And it was going back in pieces.

Rerminds me of a story I heard years ago. A mason shows up with his crew and they build an entire home. Triday the mason and crew are waiting for the home owner to show up with a check for the services. The crew can't get paid until the check arrives. Well the owner comes up with excuses and the mason says OK take it down, needles to say the owner was there in 30 min. cash in hand.

Whether the story is true or not I have always thought better have a back out plan.
 
Little late but here she blows.

Running again like it was 2004, installed an MCR adaptor and switcher.
Have begun to order parts from Phoenix Arcade for a complete restore of this pig. Received the CPO\Spinner and Joystick insert today. I also ordered the GGG joystick halves, that should be here by the end of the week.
 

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Holy crap, that one's been to hell and back! :eek:

Good on you for saving her!
 
I have a Tron Marquee in that condition as well as a clear piece of Marquee glass (no paint at all) that was once a Spy Hunter marquee....
 
never seen a tron marquee flake like that, though.

My Tron marquee was a little worse than that. It was mostly clear, for some reason the white gridlines seemed to stay on the glass, but the rest of the paint was flaking badly.

I bought a decent condition one off ebay many years ago, then bought the plexi repro from phoenix arcade when he started making them. My only critique is the repro doesn't have the silver paint on the back and lets more light through, but it's a minimal issue if you could even call it that.
 
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