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NederlandsBuying your first pinball: the guide
Budget, choosing an era, what to check during the visit and pitfalls to avoid: everything you need to know before buying a used pinball.
Setting your budget
Plan for the price of the machine, but also transport, a first service (rubbers, bulbs, playfield cleaning) and a reserve for repairs: allow 10 to 20% of the purchase price in the first year.
Electromechanical machines from the 60s-70s remain the most affordable. 80s solid-state machines are a good compromise. 90s dot-matrix (DMD) models are the most sought after, and therefore the most expensive. Today’s new machines cost much more.
Check the CLIKBIL price guide and recent ads for the machine you want to judge a fair price.
Choosing the machine
Play before you buy: in a bar, an arcade, at a show or at a collector’s. A pinball you love at first play rarely gets boring.
For family use, choose a machine with accessible rules and quick games. “Wide body” machines are wider: check the available space and the width of your doors.
Check parts availability: the big manufacturers (Williams, Bally, Stern, Gottlieb, Data East) are well supported by suppliers, small brands much less so.
During the visit
Ask to see the machine switched on for at least half an hour and play several games: all flippers, bumpers, targets and ramps must respond.
Lift the playfield: look at the wood around the ball holes, burn marks, cut wires or wires repaired with tape, the circuit boards (battery leaks on the CPU board are very common).
Inspect the backglass (flaking paint on the glass) and the playfield (wear in front of the flippers): both are expensive to replace.
Open the cabinet: signs of damp or rodents, original or tampered transformer and fuses.
Closing the deal
Never pay before seeing the machine working. Beware of prices that are too low and of sellers who refuse a visit.
Ask for the keys (cabinet and coin door), the manual and schematics if they exist, and the restoration invoices.
Arrange transport on the same day (see our guide) and get the stated condition in writing.