It is always important to either view the game in person, have many good photos of the game, or have someone look at the game on your behalf. It has been a buyers market for almost 2 years now, and there are genuine bargains out there.

Most buyers fall for the usual "too good to be true" deals. Watch out for sellers that say ;

"The is a switch problem that will be a simple fix" - If it was a "simple fix", then why not FIX it, or have a knowledgeable technician repair it so it can be sold "fully working". I recently saw a game that had a "simple switch problem", and it ended up being a costly board repair.

"we replace blown globes and rubbers" - So does everyone else, but it is NOT clear if ALL globes, or ALL rubbers are replaced ? Same with coil sleeves and pop bumper skirts.

EMs are usually cheap, but be aware of missing coils, relays or ever score motors.

As a first machine, you should look around at the different suppliers and play each game that interests you. You should buy a fully reconditioned or restored title and then buy a project game of the same manufacturer to learn from.

Cheers for the feedback.

The trouble is most of the machines are either in NSW or VIC and myself living in .SA, it's hard to go and look before bidding. And seeing that I'd never seen under a playfield until a month ago, I probably wouldn't know what I was looking at anyway lol.

I've become pretty friendly with the owner of the a local supplier/service companies who run a Friday night lock in and any machine I buy will go through his workshop 1st.