Questions on buying an Arcade Machine

[TenBen]

Hello guys, I am new to the forums, and found John on youtube when I was researching arcade cabinets. I have always been a huge fan of arcades, not only the games and environment, but the promotional items and cabinet art. Growing up in the mid 1990's, arcades were very big to me. I have respect for classic arcade games, but am truly a fan or beat em ups, and my personal favorite, fighting games. I love games like Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Street Fighter II, and my personal favorite, Killer Instinct. Enough about the background information though. I am looking to purchase an arcade machine. I want an actual cabinet, does not have to be original, could be a conversion, but I want a classic cabinet, not a MAME. I know an owner of a local business where I am from, and already pitched the idea of investing in an arcade cabinet with him. The is that if I purchase a game, and take care of repairs and maintenance, he will house the cabinet at his shop. His shop is very popular in my town, and in the summer there is always at least 7-10 guys in the shop just hanging out. They are anywhere from the age of 9-20's. I was thinking either a beat em up, like Alien Vs Predator, or The Avengers would be good for that crowd, those games are hard, and would keep the quarters flowing. I also thought about purchasing a Marvel Superheroes, Street Fighter II, Or Marvel Vs Capcom Cabinet. I have heard that games that use the CPS2 format are the easiest to repair, and AVP, Street Fighter II and Marvel are all CPS2. I Have looked on Ebay for them, and they are priced anywhere from $450-$1500. I am new to this and was wondering if there are any other places to look, other than ebay, what to look for, price range on these games, and repair costs. Also i would be more than open to hear from all of your experiences with arcades on what games pull in attention and get played a lot. Any response can help!

Thanks

Ben

[arcadefan1985]

Craigslist is the best place to purchase a cab if there are no upcoming auctions.

Most collectors on these forums are just that, we don't make money with our games. Putting them out for public use is looking for trouble unless they are the beatem-ups like you are talking about. They tend to be more common and reliable than your early 80's games.
Good luck.

[iankellogg]

where are you located ben? I have a lead on a few cabs that are empty with monitors.

[TenBen]

iankellogg, I am located in Indiana, about 2 hours north of Indianapolis

[iankellogg]

a bit far from me.

 For finding a game, craigslist is the best place to look. Ebay is very expensive and shipping can be around $400 a game. from my experience games don't sell that quickly on craigslist. Just browse and find something. Check KLOV for sale threads for games as well. I think for a fighting cab like that you should be able to get one for less than $500. I seen tekkens around me a ton for $300 that never seem to get sold.

Repairing games are usually cheap if you can do the work yourself. Power supplies are $20. Wiring harness $10. Cap kit $7. Mechanical stuff like buttons are cheap and depending on the age joysticks are cheap. Stuff from the 80s can be expensive to find parts for but not impossible. Most expensive things you will have to buy is reproduction artwork. CPOs are $50+, Side art $70-$150.

If you need help with PCB repairs I can do my best over the forums.

[TenBen]

Thanks for all the help man, I really appreciate it. Doing this so I can earn a little extra cash in my last years of college, and hopefully get my own KI cabinet one day

[iankellogg]

since you want to become an operator you probably don't need to worry too much about artwork. since you mentioned college, what is your degree going to be in?

[TenBen]

Double majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurship

[iankellogg]

if you are serious about becoming an operator (even if it is just one game) you will seriously have to start thinking about brushing up on some electronics stuff. I'll keep a look out for a game in your area, just let me know what your price range is and what games you would like. I browse craigslist like an addict.

[TenBen]

haha alright man thanks, and i have a good buddy of mine who is an electric engineer, he is very good at that stuff. He got my fathers Lord of the Rings pinball machine, and his Midway Sea Raider game working. Anyways, my price range is anywhere up to 800 dollars. I found a on Tekken 2, with an asteroids cabinet, for 300. The asteroids is not working right, but I figured I could sell it to someone who wants a project to work on. Also found a Street Fighter Alpha 3 for 400.

[iankellogg]

Those are really good prices.