Is this a good deal?

[Deteacher]

A guy on CL was selling a huge lot of Atari stuff (Mostly VCS) for $200. In that lot was a 7800 console (with cables, power supply, no controllers) a trackball and 2 7800 games (Centipede and Galaga.) I asked if he would sell me just the 7800 stuff. He said he'd sell just that stuff to me for $60. I managed to talk him down to $50 and he agreed.

 

I've noticed that Atari prices have gone up lately. Is $50 a good deal for this?

[ferghead]

A guy on CL was selling a huge lot of Atari stuff (Mostly VCS) for $200. In that lot was a 7800 console (with cables, power supply, no controllers) a trackball and 2 7800 games (Centipede and Galaga.) I asked if he would sell me just the 7800 stuff. He said he'd sell just that stuff to me for $60. I managed to talk him down to $50 and he agreed.

 

I've noticed that Atari prices have gone up lately. Is $50 a good deal for this?

 

It is in my opinion, I've only seen a 7800 in the wild 3 times, and I bought 2 of them. Never since I've been in DE though, and that's been almost 14 years. You will most likely pay more on eBay. Some folks may comment that it's definitely worth it since the Crampline controllers aren't included.

[accousticguitar]

If everything works that's a good deal.

[Underball]

It's a decent deal, but not really great. I just got another 7800 on Ebay about a month ago, with PW supply, two prolines, 4 games (PPII, Centipede Joust, Galaga) that was in great condition, still and the plastic peel off strip on the aluminum bezel, for $35. I've had 3-4 of them over the last 6-7 years from ebay, and never paid more than $40.

 

Still, a decent deal though.

[rockman_x_2002]

Agreeing with the others here. If it's all in working order and everything, then it's a fair deal. Not an overly great one, but a fair price. Probably what you might consider market value or just a little over.

[Deteacher]

Thanks for all the replies. I thought it was fair at best. I didn't think it was the deal of the century, but I'm glad I was in the ballpark on this one.

[Deteacher]

Well, I picked it up yesterday and found some time to check things out. It definitely needs some TLC. It has some crud on the shell which is easy enough to clean up, but that raised a red flag for me. I got home and hooked it up. Right off, I found the power button is flaky. Pressing it was more often than not, registering a double press, so the power would go on and off immediately, I found, pressing on the left side of the power button would work, allowing the power to stay on.

 

Display is as good as any other Rf based system.  It's a little fuzzy, but clear enough to play. I fully intend on modding it for composite, at the very least.

 

Pause works, select works, but reset does not, no matter how I press on it. I'm hoping it just needs a good cleaning, otherwise, I guess I'll be looking for a replacement switch. At least I can start games with the fire button.

 

I planned on taking it all apart and cleaning it inside and out regardless, so I guess it's not too bad. If I had known the issues, I may have tried to talk him down another $5-$10 bucks, but all in all, it is a functioning system. I'm sure I can restore it to it's former glory, so overall, I'm satisfied.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Deteacher

[BioForceApe]

I got my 7800 with power supply, coax cable, and controllers (paddles only but with a unlicensed joystick) with most games at a fairly cheap price.

[Deteacher]

Had some time today to sit down and work on it. I bought replacement switches from Mouser Electronics. I only needed to replace the reset switch, but I decided while I was inside the unit, why not replace all of them. All the switches work great. I cleaned up the case and got rid of as much rust as I could. The only downside is that the silver bezel shows scratches and it's not very shiny (any suggestions on polishing it up?) The system works great! Picture is a bit on the fuzzy side, but once I mod it, that won't be an issue.

 

I'm a happy camper!