The farthest you've gone (or would go) for a game

[8BitMonk]

I recently took a 6 hour road trip (each way) to pick up a Joust cab which got me wondering what lengths others have gone to in order to grow their collection.

So let's hear it, what's the farthest you've gone (or would go) to acquire that piece of arcade history. This doesn't have to literally be distance (thought that's acceptable), it could be the longest you've waited for a cab or pat to become available, costs that pushed your limit at the time, builds from hell, crazy shipping, skeevy raid locations.

[leapinlew]

I would go all.the.way!

[vwalbridge]

Furthest I have gone is only 1 hour. The last 3 I just got this weekend I only had to walk to the end of my own driveway. Both sellers brought them to my house. Free delivery.

[8BitMonk]

Furthest I have gone is only 1 hour. The last 3 I just got this weekend I only had to walk to the end of my own driveway. Both sellers brought them to my house. Free delivery.

Nice! Any dedicated cab on your wish list that would push you outside the couple hour travel zone or above a set dollar amount?

[vwalbridge]

Furthest I have gone is only 1 hour. The last 3 I just got this weekend I only had to walk to the end of my own driveway. Both sellers brought them to my house. Free delivery.

Nice! Any dedicated cab on your wish list that would push you outside the couple hour travel zone or above a set dollar amount?

I don't think I could go 6 hours. You are a better man than I.

However, for the right price, I might drive up to 4 hours (round trip) for a Zeke's Peak, Ice Cold Beer, or Nintendo Red Tent. I realize that 4 hours is child's play for what some people will drive. However, "time is money" for me. I almost always calculate gas and time into my purchase factor.

Now that I have done it...I might suggest more sellers bring their machines to me. I know it seems crazy they would be willing but I've realized some are more than happy to do it. (Especially for an extra $25-$50) Totally worth it for me if I don't have to drive and take the time. Plus, I don't always have the luxury of bringing a friend to help load.

[BadMouth]

About 5 1/2 hours each way for an Initial D without the Naomi system.  I'm not even a collector.
I just like buying parts I'll end up never using or get my money back out of.

I actually did get my money back on that one by selling the monitor, but now I wish I had it back. 

[yotsuya]

Phoenix to San Diego, with a three day vacation in between.

[yotsuya]

Furthest I have gone is only 1 hour. The last 3 I just got this weekend I only had to walk to the end of my own driveway. Both sellers brought them to my house. Free delivery.

Nice! Any dedicated cab on your wish list that would push you outside the couple hour travel zone or above a set dollar amount?

I don't think I could go 6 hours. You are a better man than I.

However, for the right price, I might drive up to 4 hours (round trip) for a Zeke's Peak, Ice Cold Beer, or Nintendo Red Tent. I realize that 4 hours is child's play for what some people will drive. However, "time is money" for me. I almost always calculate gas and time into my purchase factor.

Now that I have done it...I might suggest more sellers bring their machines to me. I know it seems crazy they would be willing but I've realized some are more than happy to do it. (Especially for an extra $25-$50) Totally worth it for me if I don't have to drive and take the time. Plus, I don't always have the luxury of bringing a friend to help load.

Pfft.... only four hours for a Red Tent.... it's like you're not even trying, bro.

[8BitMonk]

Phoenix to San Diego, with a three day vacation in between.

Stopping to vacation along the way is cheating.

Pfft.... only four hours for a Red Tent.... it's like you're not even trying, bro.

That's good stuff. 

[yotsuya]

Phoenix to San Diego, with a three day vacation in between.

Stopping to vacation along the way is cheating.

It isn't if you sell it to your wife that way...

[P.H.U.]

So far, 2 hours per direction. I may go 3 hours per direction this weekend for an SF2 cab if it is still around. I went San Jose to San Francisco for a free HS-5 Dynamo SF2 cp cab. Which also brings up, there should be a monetary qualifier on this. Should be a 2:1 ratio.  200 miles for each $100 miles spent. Anything more than, we all feel that invisible threshold.

[vwalbridge]

Pfft.... only four hours for a Red Tent.... it's like you're not even trying, bro.

That's good stuff. 

heh, this is fair. However, my enthusiasm for a Red Tent has worn off. Remember? Kardashian of the arcade world?

[yotsuya]

Pfft.... only four hours for a Red Tent.... it's like you're not even trying, bro.

That's good stuff. 

heh, this is fair. However, my enthusiasm for a Red Tent has worn off. Remember? Kardashian of the arcade world?

Yep. If someone gave me one, I'd keep the Vs. Board and turn the rest into a planter.





Ok. I'd keep the board and sell the cab.

[DeLuSioNal29]

How about the farthest I've gone, but not actually taken the ride the whole way?   

I recently bought an Arkanoid cocktail that was located in MD and I'm in CT (4 to 5 hours away).  Through some networking, I was able to get the guy to drop it off at my cousin's house in MD so I could pick it up next time I paid her a visit.  However, my aunt and uncle just happened to be visiting from NY so they loaded it up into their Chrysler Pacifica (it fit) and I later made the drive from CT to NY (about 40  minutes).

The timing was perfect and it fit in my Honda Crosstour without issues.  So a 5 hour trip turned into a little over an hour.   

I would probably drive longer distances if I had a truck.  It's hard to get friends with trucks to sacrifice time so I usually don't ask them often unless it's a CRAZY deal and close-by.

D

[8BitMonk]

It isn't if you sell it to your wife that way...

Well played sir, well played. 

[pbj]

College Station to Dallas or Oklahoma City a couple of times, so I guess that's 200-400 miles each way.  Back when gas was cheap.  Well, heck, gas is cheap again now.  Hm.  Might be time to stock up on some empty Arizona iced tea bottles and hit the road again. 

I'm not delivering ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- unless the person drives to my house, looks over the game, and pays up front. 

And here's why - the craziest delivery I ever made was driving a game to Austin.  It was a Phoenix cocktail without a monitor.  I had it working with a Commodore CGA/EGA monitor but lacked the mounting hardware.  (some 'well respected' RGVAC/KLOV member ripped me off and never sent me the right parts.  Kirb?  Something like that.  Nowadays I'd devise some hack in 15 minutes with a 2x4 and jigsaw, but I was even dumber back then and lacked tools)  Sold it for $110 on Ebay and the buyer was already trying to flake with "the wife is mad at me about this" and "I'm going to be out of town" BS.  Told him I'd deliver it for another $50.

Conscripted a friend, we throw it in his truck, and drive 150 miles.  Guy said he'd leave his house key and money under the doormat.

Get there, sure enough, there's an envelope under the door mat with a "please leave $160 in this for James" written on it.  So, we go into his house, walk all the way through it, open the garage door, dump off the game, and leave. 

On the drive home, it dawns on us that was the craziest damn thing either one of us had ever willingly done.  How we didn't end up ripped off, arrested, shot, or raped still surprises me.  Either that was an extraordinarily trusting/naive soul or he was watching us and rubbing one out or something. 

I'm not pressing my luck again.  We didn't even have cell phones back then.  Absolutely nuts.

(also had a red tent for awhile.  can't remember how/why I ended up with that, but was very happy to divest myself of it....)

[harveybirdman]

I will drive 400 miles for a deal, if I want a trash game that plays blind I can pay $300 for that ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow--- in my own hometown.

[Malenko]

7 hour round trip for an MK1 converted to UMK3 that I restored and took a loss on.

[vwalbridge]

I wish pbj was coming to ZapCon. 

I'm so happy that harveybirdman and Malenko are coming to ZapCon. 

[yotsuya]

I wish pbj was coming to ZapCon. 

I'm so happy that harveybirdman and Malenko are coming to ZapCon. 

Maybe next year we'll actually get people to contribute to the Kickstarter...

[dmckean]

Maybe next year we'll actually get people to contribute to the Kickstarter...

I've got $20, cash-in-hand.

[yotsuya]

Maybe next year we'll actually get people to contribute to the Kickstarter...

I've got $20, cash-in-hand.

If 30 people gave $20, we could get him to Phoenix if DeLuSioNaL let him share the room....

[CheffoJeffo]

When I first started out, did a 4-hour RT for empty SMB and Galaga cabs. Shortly thereafter did another 4-hour for a cheap & working BattleShark.

After that, all within 30 minute drive, mostly meeting up at auctions.

[8BitMonk]

It was only about a half hour away but getting my Championship Sprint about killed me.

• I needed to rent a truck that cost $100 with mileage and everything.
• Once out the back patio and while I'm walking backwards wheeling the cab over a 2'x8' piece of particle board I had placed over the snow the board slips out and the cab drops fully on top of me.
  
• The area between this guy and his neighbors house turns out to be a steep as hell incline, cup-shaped with shrubs & rocks on either side and the middle part is an ice trough. Obviously he didn't tell me this little nugget of info ahead of time, probably because he thought it would jeopardize the sale.
  
• Since we couldn't take it straight up the icy middle, we tried to drag the cab up the side with the dolly lying flat but there was zero footing, after struggling for awhile we both slipped, the cab flopped onto it's side and slid all the way back down to the bottom of the incline. By some miracle after another 30 minutes of effort, an extra helper and more falls we get it to the front yard.

Every muscle in my body was sore for a week. Quite the adventure with some valuable lessons learned.

[Xiaou2]

Furthest was Upstate ny to middle of Illinois.

 I believe it was 13 hrs each way  >_<

 I found a Black Knight 2000 pinball on ebay.. that was cheaper than most.   Turned out that was because the playfield was destroyed... ate down to the wood.   The pictures were zoomed out... so you couldnt tell.   Live and learn.   I got an unlimited mileage deal on a pickup truck rental...  and that company surely must have regretted that too.

  If you are patient enough, you can usually find what you are after, fairly close in distance.
When you have the "fever" however... its hard to think rationally.

[vwalbridge]

If you are patient enough, you can usually find what you are after, fairly close in distance.
When you have the "fever" however... its hard to think rationally.

This is very true.

[equlizer]

I drove 3.5 hours each way to get a monitor.  It's $1000 brand new and i paid $550 used with extended warranty.

[opt2not]

Almost an 11 hour round-trip to pick up my Robotron Cabaret in the middle of farmville Washington State. 
It was a mountainous drive, and raining sleet when I went.  Totally worth it though.

[8BitMonk]

Almost an 11 hour round-trip to pick up my Robotron Cabaret in the middle of farmville Washington State. 
It was a mountainous drive, and raining sleet when I went.  Totally worth it though.

Robotron is one of those games I'd drive a ways for too, totally worth it and really hard to find. One just popped up nearby on CL for $1400.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/vgd/5487523064.html

The place selling it is always way overpriced. By the pics it doesn't even look original, looks like a repro to me.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Almost an 11 hour round-trip to pick up my Robotron Cabaret in the middle of farmville Washington State. 
It was a mountainous drive, and raining sleet when I went.  Totally worth it though.

Robotron is one of those games I'd drive a ways for too, totally worth it and really hard to find. One just popped up nearby on CL for $1400.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/vgd/5487523064.html

The place selling it is a reseller that's always way overpriced. By the pics it doesn't even look original, looks like a repro to me.

It's listed for $1400.  If I'm paying that much it better have original Wicos.     Or at the very least Dominux 8's.
I saw one listed for $750 in mint condition in NY (near me) about 5 years ago.  That game's price has gone way up!

D

[8BitMonk]

If I'm paying that much it better have original Wicos.     Or at the very least Dominux 8's.

No kidding. Notice the P1 and P2 button aren't the blue illuminated originals and the curve on the CP front it's tight angle, not like an original Robotron. It says they got it in on trade so I wonder if someone convinced them it was an original or they're just hoping no one notices.

[CheffoJeffo]

Is Robotron really that hard to find?

I would have thought otherwise since they seem to me to be one of the easier cabs to assemble, so there would be less pressure in the market.

OK, easy to assemble outside of finding original 4" Wicos. 

There always seem to be a ton of old Robo cabs that have been converted to something else (sometimes with the original sticks). Drop in a jrok ( ) or 19-in-1 and you are good to go (not that there's a dearth of Williams boards out there). Artwork was readily available last I checked. The Dominux 8's seem to be a reasonable fill-in for the sticks while you wait.

Anybody else remember those NIB Robos that John's Jukes had several years back?

[opt2not]

Is Robotron really that hard to find?

I think the full sized cabinets are still pretty easy to find. I wouldn't have driven 11 hours to get a regular stand-up, but for my Cabaret/Mini I would have driven further.

Anybody else remember those NIB Robos that John's Jukes had several years back?

Yeah I remember drooling over them.     He's in my city, not too far from where I live and sometimes I pop in to see what he has.  Prices are bit high for me though.

[8BitMonk]

Is Robotron really that hard to find?

May depend on area, I haven't seen a single one in the last 8 years I've been collecting.

Anybody else remember those NIB Robos that John's Jukes had several years back?

Don't remember these but I do remember a NIB cocktail version listed on ebay for 10K awhile back.