Buying an arcade/pinball machine

[mason55]

Anyone ever done this? How do I go about it? I'm absolutely clueless but I've been dreaming of it ever since I was a child.

[pshreck]

There are pool table type stores all over that sell pinball and arcade machines (atleast in CT).

Go to one of these and look around. You CAN and MUST haggle, the prices they list will be absurdly over the top ( I saw a MK2 arcade for 15k at some place).

If you order it from somewhere (even eBay) you will pay an really really high shipping fee, upwards of 500-1000 bucks, so try to look for one locally.

[mason55]

Cool, there's a pool table store 5 minutes from my house, maybe I'll go there after work.

Are there distributors I can talk to directly so I have a bigger selection? Like the people that arcades get the machines from?

[Sporky]

could always build a MAME cabinet. google it, you build a cabinet, run a PC with MAME and you've got an assload of arcade games and can run console emulators etc.

[chaas4747]

Find out what company supplies these to bars, call them and ask if they ever have auctions. The company in KC has an auction annually to sell off old dart boards, pool tables, and arcade games.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
could always build a MAME cabinet. google it, you build a cabinet, run a PC with MAME and you've got an assload of arcade games and can run console emulators etc.



[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I've seen those. I kind of want a pinball machine though. Maybe I could buy a pinball machine and build a mame cabinet.

[Sporky]

also check ebay dude. tons of stuff on there usually. also, if the MAME stuff interests you...check out MAME cabinets on there. they are pricey but nice.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
also check ebay dude. tons of stuff on there usually. also, if the MAME stuff interests you...check out MAME cabinets on there. they are pricey but nice.

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha found one that comes with a free poker table.

[Gin 'n Tonic]

With pinball machines try to get one with a service manual. Then you have all the part numbers identified and diagnostics, etc. This will make it way easier in the future when it goes wrong (it WILL go wrong).

[Jim Kuhn]

Check out the auctions from this site: Arcade auctions I have been to several and they usually have several hundred machines.

Thank you,

Jim Kuhn
Catfish4u
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