Donkey Kong Jr worth buying for Restoration?

[apocalypto]

Hi,  I hope I can get some advice from all you experts on here, from what I have read so far it is an invaluable resource for Arcade enthusiasts!

I am interested in purchasing a Donkey Kong Jr machine I have found locally. It is on sale for $250.

There are just 2 issues I have seen so far with it:

There is no side art (not a big deal obviously)

There is an issue with the screen/video  -  The picture appears to be too narrow. It only takes up about half the horizontal space. The guy said it needed something resoldering on the board (I dont know how knowledgeable he really is on that though). I am thinking if not maybe a cap kit?

It also has some dings and scratches and needs new moulding etc, as most do.

So my question is, is it worth $250?

I plan on either restoring it to original donkey kong, or donkey jr, with possibilty of a double donkey kong board.

Time is of the essence with rare beauties like these so I feel I should snap it up....but I also don't want to pay far too much.

What do you think??

Oh and I will try and get some pictures of it today if that might help.

Thanks!! 

[yotsuya]

Offer him $175.

[EwJ]

Mike's Arcade has side art and parts - you could take a quick look to get an idea of how much a restore will run you.

Monitor -  You could post this issue in the Monitor/Video section here to get some advice on possible causes and cost/effort to fix.

These things may or may not influence how much you would offer.

[jennifer]

    If the bottom isnt to bad,[ water damage in particular] I"d say go for it! The parts however might get a little spendy depending on your tolorance
level of "nice" but the machine itself is an investment. 

[isucamper]

depends on the condition.  assuming its complete and original, it's probably well worth 250.  but you should see if he bites on 200

[apocalypto]

Yeah I was wondering if it was complete and original or not. I'm not sure how to tell to be honest. When I go look at it again are there any things I should pay particular attention to?

Thanks so much for your advice!

[Encryptor]

I'd say take the back off and see if there is a tag inside that states what the game is and the serial number. That might tell you if it's an original DK Jr.

Encryptor

[isucamper]

Take a look at some of the other Nintendo restoration threads on here so you know what the cabinet should look like inside and out (I just bumped my Popeye thread and there's some good inside shots on it).  Nintendo cabs are pretty well organized, with the cables sorted nicely, and they have a pretty distinct original power supply. 

Even if its not all original, 250 might be worth it depending on how much you like the game.  As jennifer said, water damage is something you should watch out for.  If the bottom of the cabinet was ever underwater, who knows what could be wrong with the electronics. 

[Spyridon]

While you guys are discussing this, if I were local it would already be in my garage.  It's $250 for a complete Nintendo game.  Go get it. 

[apocalypto]

I picked it up this morning for $250.

I am really excited to restore it, this is going to be a fun project!

The first thing I want to fix is the video/monitor issue. I will post about this in the Monitor forum. Fingers crossed its just a cap kit fix!


Anyway,  see you around here

UPDATE:  Follow my Restoration process here:  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=107302.0