I was fortunate enough to find a Robotron recently. Actually, this is a
nice little story.
I've been collecting vids for a couple of years. Each machine I've
owned has never been great - mostly generic cabs with jamma games
because I'm not rich and that's all I could afford. That's not a
complaint it's just the way it is.
Anyway, a few months ago I got to thinking how great it would be if I
could find a nice dedicated Robotron, Defender Joust or Asteroids
Deluxe that I could baby and fully restore - those were always my
favorite games and I've never had a dedicated machine that was worth
keeping. But with the prices these machines command, I thought there
would never be any way I could justify getting one.
Well not two days later, a friend of mine who is more into mame than
dedicated cabinets, sends me, and a few other local collectors, a link
to an ad on a local classified site. He said he wasn't interested and
that one of us should go after it. It read:
"Arcade video game. Robotron. Plays great. $250."
A working Robtron for $250? What?
So I e-mail the guy (there was no phone number on the ad) and tell him
that I'm interested. He responds saying that I was the first to contact
him and would therefore have first dibs. I went and took a look the
next day and couldn't believe my eyes when I went into this guys
basement. There, standing in the corner all by itself, was a dedicated,
working Robotron in better shape than I've ever seen. The sideart was
good, the controls worked, the monitor image was crisp and bright. The
only things wrong with it were the joys needed new grommets, the CPO
had cig burns all over it and the marquee light needed a starter.
He said he had bought it from an operator 8 years ago and that it was
the only vid he had ever owned and that his kids didn't play it anymore
and it was just taking up space. He also said that a few other local
guys I know had e-mailed him after me and expressed "significant"
interest (and even offered more money), but since I had contacted him
first he felt that it was only right to sell it to me. He confessed
that he had no idea what it was worth. Admittedly, I didn't inform him.
So I paid the guy $250 (naturally, I didn't bother negotiating) and
took the game.
I felt bad for a while, but in reality I gave him what he asked for it
so I hardly ripped him off. And considering he could have easily said
he had a better offer and asked me for more, I think it was a good deal
for both of us. Either way, I've got a super nice Robotron that won't
be going anywhere for a good long time.
This was probably the best deal I'll ever score. But now I don't feel
so frustrated everytime I read about someone getting a trailer full of
NIB classics for $50 because I know that at least for once I managed to
find *one* really, really good deal before everyone else beat me to it.
>> Stay informed about: FS: My Robotron NJ 
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