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Should I buy this Space Invaders? (newbie)

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remo:

This would be my first cab.

I was at a flea market out in the country near my parents place and stumbled across a few coin ops for sale, one of which was a standup Space Invaders (the other was a generic two-player cab with a wrestling game in it).

The Space Invaders seemed like it was in pretty decent shape, typical wear and tear for a game that old. The side art was pretty much intact, just some odd scuffs and scratches here and there.  The control panel was pretty faded.  I didn't get a chance to actually play it, but it did seem to be working and the screen looked fairly sharp.

They were asking $200 for it, but I had the impression that they could be talked down a bit.  Should I do it?  My one concern is that, a few minutes after it was plugged in, the speaker started to give off a pretty loud buzz/hum/vibration (at least I think it was the speaker).  What would be causing that, and if it required repair what would be involved?

Any advice would be appreciated. (no, I don't intend to MAME it)

fatfingers:

I don't know anything about anything, but I would think that $200 for a working, original space invaders would have to be a steal -- I know I'd be interested at that price.

[Edit: spelling -- originial??? sheesh...]

MYX:

Part of owning old machines is learning about them and breaking them worse fixing them up. $200 sounds pretty good. If you can talk em down do it. Be cheap. Use the extra money to fix it. But the question, should I buy it... That is up to you. It is really cool to have an original in yer home. Plus, if your done with it, sell it around christmas on eBay and double your money.

XtraSmiley:

SI is a cool cab, but the monitor is black and white so keep that in mind before taking the plunge.  I've seen better cabs given away free and I've also seen SI go for 2 grand.  It's a tought call, one you have to make.

Check ebay for pricing and condition comparisons and don't forget to take pics to post if you buy it!  Good luck.

RayB:

That's a great price, even with potential problems. I'd say test it out with it on for at least 10 minutes, see what happens. If it wigs out for example, that's a good bargaining angle for you.

And whether you really liek it or not, it's something you can hold on to and trade for something you like better.

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