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20+ year old machines really worth that much?!


FLEX

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Just saying. I know that restoring a machine to better then new is a great thing, but is that machine really in the same price category as a brand new machine hot off the production line? If I had a spare 10k to blow on a machine then value for money is a new game, not an old game thats been restored, even if its been restored better then new (it is still an old game anyway). The coding alone on a new game is just leaps ahead.

 

I understand guys asking big money for old restored machines, but for me at the end of the day it is still, and is always gonna be, a RESTORED (not new) machine..

 

:run:

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things are worth what someone who wants them will pay for them.

 

they possibly arent right for you though.

 

they are for the guy who played the machine 20,30,40 years ago and can now afford to buy the entire street it was in.

 

he doesnt want a crappy project... he wants 'perfect'

 

 

I just sold an EM to a guy for 4k ... are EM's worth 4k ? it was to him ..

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the cost of restoring is what kills everyone not counting the time doing it (that's love)

but once you do one it's hard to part with it - i got a SS i spent 4k just on the play field , everything is new , then new original decals , colour DMD

2k paint , all the chrome work and polishing - you get the picture

 

the list just goes on and on and on

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unfortunately as you well know... this is a really awkward way to run a business :-)

 

in my younger day i used to collect cars and i'd always look for peoples obsession that cost them a house to build,

like spending 60k on a mustang to sell for 30k because he needs money or got a new wife that doesn't like the car and it must go , that doesn't happen these days with eBay and gumtree anymore

 

pinball is no different only much less $$$

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in my younger day i used to collect cars and i'd always look for peoples obsession that cost them a house to build,

like spending 60k on a mustang to sell for 30k because he needs money or got a new wife that doesn't like the car and it must go , that doesn't happen these days with eBay and gumtree anymore

 

pinball is no different only much less $$$

 

exactly! buying a 20k restored 90s pin from a dealer vs 'being a hobbyist' is just like buying a 100k restored mustang from a classic car dealer vs importing a wreck and making your own.. its just smaller numbers, it might be for you or it might not. no one can say if its 'worth it' to someone else. the stock broker with 2 hours off a week might not have any interest in 'working on it' or getting dirty . he just wants it to be perfect. whatever his toy is..

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What is it worth. Dollar parts value?

We can spend more on a restoration now as we are LUCKY to be able to buy many parts now that used to be unobtainium.

 

So more parts equal more money tied up in the game. I did what @Lou did with a Scared Stiff. Before I knew it I had dropped over 10 grand. It's kinda the rabbit hole scenario. I was so far down I thought no pint skimping now. Beautiful when finished. Is it worth it. Yes and no. It's a labour of love to some and a money pit to others.

 

Don't do it buy it if it's not fun or you can't afford to take a hit.

 

Eye candy though no doubt about it........and yes I took a hit. :laugh:

307946646_2014-11-2310_43_36.thumb.jpg.a7264015d447d4196a35ff04ed19c705.jpg

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Depends on the game, depends on the restorer

 

Would I spend $10k on a restored Jackbot? No

Would I spend $10k on a restored AFM? Maybe

 

Would I buy from Noddy New Guy who just pops up on eBay calling himself a high end restorer? No

Would I buy from a forum regular who has years of experience under his belt , and many restore threads? Yep

 

 

But even a rebuild (not a full restoration) will cost money

My AFM, beat up game, 5 years ago, $5000

New playfield, $1500

Color DMD, $600

New ramps, $200

New plastics, $200

New cabinet decals, $300

New cabinet would be nice, $1500

Get some board work done

 

So, as you see, once you start, the costs add up

Edited by Pop Bumper Pete
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I have a clients SS & EM here in the workshop at the moment. These machines have been dead for 3 plus years. My repair instructions is to fix them no expense spared. They are important to the man & he has the money, he could buy 10 new pins today if he wanted, but he wants these one's working. go figure!!
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At what point did second hand stuff(in general) cost more than brand new? Was is because of sites like Ebay? or did everybody suddenly develop some sort of hoarding disorder?

 

Its a funny world we live in where second hand goods (and new in some cases) now increase in value not depreciate just because somebody "must have" it only to shove it in a box in the back of the cupboard never to see the light of day again.

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Its a funny world we live in where second hand goods (and new in some cases) now increase in value not depreciate just because somebody "must have" it only to shove it in a box in the back of the cupboard never to see the light of day again.

 

I think it's a bit to do with the hoarding nature within us all, as well as the subliminal satisfaction of finally attaining particular items/objects we want to own, and then realising that material purchases aren't actually going to make us feel fulfilled in life, which is why they end up in the cupboard/storage.

 

 

Reasons why we buy things we don't need:

 

1. We think it will make us secure.

2. We think it will make us happy.

3. We are more susceptible to advertising than we believe.

4. We are hoping to impress other people.

5. We are jealous of people who own more.

6. We are trying to compensate for our deficiencies.

7. We are more selfish than we like to admit.

8. It was such a good deal!

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At what point did second hand stuff(in general) cost more than brand new? Was is because of sites like Ebay? or did everybody suddenly develop some sort of hoarding disorder?

 

Its a funny world we live in where second hand goods (and new in some cases) now increase in value not depreciate just because somebody "must have" it only to shove it in a box in the back of the cupboard never to see the light of day again.

 

I see AA as part of the problem

You started this site, made it easy for newbies to learn how to fix games, people have meets, members promote games, now everyone want to own a classic game

 

AA an AP should be shut down !!! ;)

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I see AA as part of the problem

You started this site, made it easy for newbies to learn how to fix games, people have meets, members promote games, now everyone want to own a classic game

 

AA an AP should be shut down !!! ;)

 

Shut down AA & AP and a bunch of blokes with signs will be outside your pie shop with "Down with pastry" signs..:lol

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I think it's a bit to do with the hoarding nature within us all, as well as the subliminal satisfaction of finally attaining particular items/objects we want to own, and then realising that material purchases aren't actually going to make us feel fulfilled in life, which is why they end up in the cupboard/storage.

 

 

Reasons why we buy things we don't need:

 

1. We think it will make us secure.

2. We think it will make us happy.

3. We are more susceptible to advertising than we believe.

4. We are hoping to impress other people.

5. We are jealous of people who own more.

6. We are trying to compensate for our deficiencies.

7. We are more selfish than we like to admit.

8. It was such a good deal!

 

You are 100% correct. The human paradox. The only creature on the planet capable of logical thinking uses its ability to satisfy completely irrational needs. I am the first to admit it. I follow point 1 -8 every day scratching my head wondering what the hell am I doing while at the same time loving every minute of it lol!

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Shut down AA & AP and a bunch of blokes with signs will be outside your pie shop with "Down with pastry" signs..:lol

 

That would only be because he doesn't make pies & peas.......:lol

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Why buy a 14.5 million dollar Lear jet when you can fly Virgin for $49 because they can...

 

I get your analogy BUT Virgin is not a budget carrier, they are a full service airline competing with QANTAS. It is Virgins budget arm, Tigerair, that is the "no frills" airline - carry on....:lol

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At what point did second hand stuff(in general) cost more than brand new? Was is because of sites like Ebay? or did everybody suddenly develop some sort of hoarding disorder?

 

Its a funny world we live in where second hand goods (and new in some cases) now increase in value not depreciate just because somebody "must have" it only to shove it in a box in the back of the cupboard never to see the light of day again.

 

its those who buy to inflate and flip and make a couple of bucks.

 

To the Op who was talking about better than new games costing crazy money.

Keppin mind your not just buying a machine in those cases you are buying the work being done by the person, who has spent stupid hours and coin to build a better than new machine, your paying for his work and the value maybe in the work he has done.

 

And as @wiredoug said,its probably not for you.

 

There is the option of buying trash and doing it up your self.

So when buying from a bloke who does better than new pinball services, then you cant compare to a none repaired game for value, you need to look at his work to see if that is value. And work out if the time, money and effort put into is worth paying for it.

the value is in the work

 

I remember when i first got into the pinball hobby, a common saying was "Pinball is a Hobby not an investment", that changed when the guys who flipped pinball's came in on the scene. most people took a loss of a few bucks when swapping their line up.

 

there was always guys who charged allot of money for Better than new pinballs then, again you are paying for their work, and was for the market of people who wanted nothing less than the best. And those people bought Pinballs not as an investment but because they wanted Only the best and were willing to pay for it.

 

Its only when people started thinking pinballs were investments the prices went stupid for non restored games

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Why buy a 14.5 million dollar Lear jet when you can fly Virgin for $49 because they can...

I"d say it would be more for the inflight entertainment.

I'm with the majority, your really paying for the labour and parts not so much the gameplay of the machine. In comparison 90's DMD's are begining to get old as far as dots and sound,compared to later Stern's and JJP just blow everything else out of the water. Innovation in pinball now far exceeds "better than new high end restoration" due to visual RGB, animation and sound. My 10-15K would go to a NIB and keep it in pristine condition, but who's to say if one wants to pay that high end resto then so be it.

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I spent today stripping & cleaning the 20 score reels on an EM, I've already exceeded the machines worth in labor & parts, However I like that fact I'm saving a machine & will be paid something for the work. I removed rat shit, mud, wasp nests, spiders & webs even a dead mummified mouse. Put that in your next advert!
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