How We Found a Working Diamond Lady for €921

I was browsing local classifieds like I usually do, and came across a listing that seemed worth breaking down. Let me walk you through why this one caught my eye.

Buying a Diamond Lady Without Breaking the Bank, Starting at €500

Step 1: Search for Interesting Listings

Here's what caught my attention about this listing:

Key Points:

• The backglass paint needs touching up (not a priority).
• Stored in a garage with cobwebs — it's clearly been sitting a while.
• The plastics and playfield are in very good shape.
• The seller mentions repairing a board at some point (but which one, and why? Not very useful information.)
• The cabinet looks generally clean, suggesting it wasn't played much.
• There's a good chance that with a restoration kit and a ground mod, this machine could end up like new.

Estimated Repair Costs

Potential repair costs:

• Transport: Depends on your location. Pinball machines fit easily into a wagon. For example, a 300-mile trip in a fuel-efficient diesel wagon would run roughly €55.
• CPU and Driver Restoration: Restoration kit from Pinballs.Store at €289 + €12 shipping = €301.
• Small Parts: Rubber ring kit, balls, bulbs, fuse kit = €65.
• Other: Glass cleaner, elbow grease, patience, soldering iron, etc.

Reasons to walk away even after seeing it in person:

Wiring that isn't original or has been modified in ways that could change how the machine behaves (e.g., rewiring flippers straight to the main power supply).

If the seller has several similar broken machines listed cheap, be cautious. If the fault were really "easy" to fix, they probably wouldn't be selling it as-is.

Total Estimate:

The seller is asking €500 — you can probably negotiate, but you'll need to move fast!

Total cost:

• Purchase: €500
• Small parts: €65
• Restoration kit: €301
• Transport: €55
• Total: €921

Installation and Repair

Once the machine is home:

Step 1: Check whether the ground mod has already been done. This will save you a huge amount of random, hard-to-diagnose trouble.

Step 2: Install the new boards following our installation tutorial. Check the power supply voltage and power it on. In 80% of cases, everything just works!

If it doesn't, follow our troubleshooting guide. If the problem persists, reach out to us for a free video-call walkthrough.

For what it's worth, this listing lasted only 2 hours online. Whoever bought it almost certainly messaged the seller the moment it went up, set up a viewing quickly, and drove straight over.

Conclusion

With a little patience, you can find a pinball machine at a fair price and get it back in working order. Once repaired, you'll get to enjoy trouble-free games! If something isn't working the way you'd like, use your machine's test mode to diagnose and fix issues easily. Good luck on your quest for the perfect pinball machine!