Yeah this is a tough one. There is no "fairly priced" rare machine like a Banzai Run, it is uber rare and significant. Not to mention usually they are beat to hell.
I sold my clean table a year and a half ago for close to $10K, and I've only seen them go up since.
For trade is my Banzai Run. It is working 100% with no credit dot and is extremely clean and in nice shape. I spent many hours cleaning and fine tuning this machine and it shoots perfectly. Playfield only has minimal wear in the usual places, and shows nicely with no color fading. While this...
I've been collecting for a long time and watch the sales of this game. A fairly nice one just sold last month for $8k. I understand collector games can go for over 10k. I was offered one months ago for around 10k. I have no problem with a beaten one for restoration. I have no problem paying the higher price but I'm not going to pay stupid money for a beaten up game.
I've been looking for this title for a good price for about ten years...and prices just keep going higher. The game play is no longer worth the current price tag. You can literally get three machines that are better players for the same amount of cash.
Personally, I didn't sell mine because I didn't like the gameplay. It was a very fun shooter. The big ramp shot had nice flow and the upper playfield was challenging yet attainable. Code is not deep at all, but it sure sounded amazing and the light show was spectacular. I sold it because I was concerned about keeping it running optimally. The very unique motor for the ball elevator and with literally 2x the playfields of a normal pin, it was bound to be high in maintenance. This was the main driving force for selling, and also because I only have space for 4 pins and Banzai Run ultimately got nudged out by more engaging options.
I agree that it is too pricey. It seems this title is coming down in cost a bit. I'm seeing some sell in the 8's. I love the gameplay but agree that you could have three for the price of this. I have a nice collection already but am always looking to add to it.
I had somebody contact on Pinside asking if I would consider selling mine. I had been looking for one for over 8 years by the time I found one out of Nebraska and took the 12-hour round-trip drive to pick it up. I'm not sure there are going to be any deals out there, but good luck in the search.