Anyone know where they sell renovated 2600s?

[Fort Apocalypse]

Just curious... would be nice to have a 2600 that had been renovated and ready for some serious use, for not a lot of cash...

 

Any idea where the best place to get this would be?

 

Same question for controllers and carts...

 

Thanks!

[+Psionic]

Just curious... would be nice to have a 2600 that had been renovated and ready for some serious use, for not a lot of cash...

 

Any idea where the best place to get this would be?

 

Same question for controllers and carts...

 

Thanks!

Renovated? lol...You mean refurbished. IDK, try Best Electronics maybe. Better yet..post an add in the wanted forum here. I'm sure somebody here can hook you up with a good unit for less than Best will charge.

Edited August 3, 2007 by PingvinBlueJeans

[BigO]

I think LonghornEngineer was selling a refurb'ed Heavy Sixer. Hang on, I'll see if I can find the post...

[BigO]

Here it is:

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=111018

 

Might want to peruse the Marketplace forum, too. I seem to remember revsdr offering a console recently, but that may have been an auction.

Edited August 3, 2007 by BigO

[Fort Apocalypse]

Thanks!

[Fort Apocalypse]

Also... what's the best way to ensure you are getting good carts and controllers? Any reputable sellers that clean up the carts/controllers and make sure they work? (again doing this on the cheap...)

[ianoid]

The cheapest way is usually eBay. If you get lucky, you might find someone parting out a set here, but that could take months. As far as reliable and refurbished, you're talking more money because there's more labor involved. I suggest Atari2600.com. They guarantee everything and there is alot of value in the service they provide, although they're not the cheapest way to get a console in your house.

 

I'd like a gently used Ferrari, refurbished, in good condition, low mileage, no scratches, but I need it <<cheap>>. Can anyone suggest a reputable, reliable dealer who has rebuilt the engine for me? I'm thinking under $5k.

[BigO]

Also... what's the best way to ensure you are getting good carts and controllers? Any reputable sellers that clean up the carts/controllers and make sure they work? (again doing this on the cheap...)

 

I guess maybe you should define "cheap". As was pointed out already, "cheap" and "good condition/reliable/guaranteed" are usually mutually exclusive.

 

I'm probably about as cheap as anybody. A good share of my consoles and games came from eBay. I allotted myself $3.00 per cartridge, shipped, which turns out to be a little high if you're buying common games. To further show my cheapness, I calculated my maximum bid price based on only the cartridges in the lot that I wanted and didn't already own. Applying that pricing scheme, I've ended up with several "free" consoles (and controllers and power supplies, etc.) and lots of "free" cartridges, all of which work but none of which were tested refurbished and guaranteed to work.

 

In my experience, it's rare to find a cartridge that doesn't work. I have 190 unique titles in my collection, have built another collection of about 80 or 90 for a friend and have 50 or more duplicates squirelled away. I have only one cartridge that I couldn't get to work after a simple cleaning (I haven't condemned it yet, it works mos of the time, but it's Space Invaders, I've got several) They almost all need a little cleaning to get them to work, but rarely are they non-functional. Unless you find someone who's collected dead cartridges and is trying to dump them on you, there's not a lot of risk on the cartridge end of this business.

 

If you're located near Phoenix or Tucson, AZ, there's a place you can pick up Atari cartridges for 50 cents to a dollar. I think you can return them if they don't work, but I've never had to test that theory.

 

Brand new joysticks are available in the $20.00 range. I've found Flashback2 joysticks for a couple of dollars each at thrift stores. Repairing joysticks is a fairly easy task if you buy the "rebuild kits". Paddle controllers don't generally wear out, but may need to be cleaned. Again, this is a do-it-yourself project detailed in several places in these forums. Driving controllers for Indy 500 are probably a fairly safe purchase also, but some versions are difficult to repair if they don't work.

 

The 2600 consoles are surprisingly robust. Of the 7 or 8 I've got laying around, I've only had to repair switches. Even this simple repair, though, requires basic soldering skills.

 

I guess I'd say that the best way to ensure that you are getting good Atari 2600 carts and controllers is to get a bunch of 'em really cheap and throw out the bad stuff.

Edited August 3, 2007 by BigO

[mimo]

Atari2600.com test everything before they let it out the door, cost is a bit more that evil bay, but worth it for peace of mind.I have bought loads of "wounded soldiers" from them and they all work (carts with damaged/ripped/no lables) I buy games to play tho, not to collect

Also, Best and B+C, and Atarimax are all highly reccomended (by me!)

Edited August 3, 2007 by mimo

[Rik]

I've seen numerous sites on the net that rebuild 2600's,dont remember which ones,sorry.I know that atari7800.com rebuilds 7800's.Google it,im sure you'll find a couple sites that do.But really why bother?you can get tons at the thrift store,i always see at least 3-4 every month at one thrift store i go to ,for $20.00 or less,that by looking, alot I've found have hardly been used.

Edited August 3, 2007 by Rik

[Fort Apocalypse]

Thanks for all of the info!