Take a look through the archived marketplace ads here... https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/archive?s=1&ad_machine_key=241 Will give some idea as to the going price. Seems to be anywhere from around $2500 to $3500. I don't think it would be a bad first game, depends if the theme does it for you I guess. I personally loved the movie, so I want a Hook machine myself. The large center ramp is known to crack, but there are reproductions currently being made by Ramp-O-Matic thankfully. Be prepared to learn how to do some soldering, rebuild flippers, etc. I knew absolutely nothing when I got my Demolition Man and had to teach myself how to do everything to it. Plenty of Youtube videos and threads here on how to do almost anything.

Personally I found Hook to be one of the worst Data East machines.

I own a few DE machines and they will challenge you as parts supplies for some things are dwindling and they are still not seen as collectible or valuable as their Williams counterparts.

Targets and Flippers are still easily available, but other mechs have gone out of production.

Demolition Man is a great game and would give you greater replayability, plus there are more resources and videos for repairs on Williams.

One other benefit to where you are located is that Marcos is not far away. Their prices are a bit higher than other online retailers, but at least you wouldn't have to pay for shipping.

At the 8-6-22 Sevierville Tenn. Auction a Hook pinball in good condition sold for $2200.

(shrugs)

I don't buy them. Compared to other machines of the same age they have a fair amount of mechanical problems. I'm the first to admit that EVERY pinball has maintenance issues, but Hook never felt like a quality machine to me when I serviced it.

Every person has a different set of pinballs they like playing, and Hook might be your favorite machine, I get that.

But I would definitely play the actual machine you are planning on buying, and more than a couple of times to make sure that the machine is fully functional and doesn't have any technical problems. It will develop it's own problems over time, but definitely on this machine you want to buy it in very good repair so that you have some good gameplay before it starts causing you problems.

I read all of the same mixed reviews you have been reading. Honestly, have had the same hesitancy as you are probably having. I stumbled on a Hook about a week or so ago and frankly couldn't be happier with the purchase. I love to play it. My kids love to play it. My wife who thought I was nuts for wanting to buy a pinball machine probably loves to play it more than any of us. The one I found was in overall nice shape. Everything worked on it. Cosmetically, the playfield is a 7/10. The cabinet is probably a 6/10. I expect to do a bit of repair/cleanup on the cabinet just because I want it to last a long time, but it isn't anything I have to jump on right away to be able to enjoy it. The Rufio ramp (very top right) on mine (and probably most other folks) is cracked and repaired with epoxy/glue and seems to hold up pretty well, but I do intend to replace it. I found someone who created a reinforced version, basically extending the metal plate further up the ramp. That ramp replacement and a new set of stickers for it appears will run about $140. Pricey, but not terrible. The Windcoster ramp is nearly impossible to find. Mine is in good shape, but has a couple of small cracks that I expect will get worse over time. I'll likely find a reproduction to purchase to have on hand, but I haven't found anyone that actually has these in stock. With the stickers, most are going to end up running you $225ish. And the main plastic launch ramp (not what it is called I'm sure) on mine is in really good shape and I don't intend to replace it, but order a fresh set of decals for it. The swing bars entering both the Windcoster ramp and Baseball Jackpot? ramp are a little rough resulting in them getting stuck, but those are readily available for purchase for cheap. Or, I may just pull them out and go to town with some steel wool and see if I can revive them. I do have one minor annoyance on my machine - when the ball kicks out to the shooter lane, about 50% of the time it makes the machine think the ball was shot and "misses" the skill shot from the shooter lane. Certainly not the end of the world, we just miss some points that way, but my gut tells me there is an overly sensitive switch that is getting triggered. I may just have to tinker around and figure out what is causing it. Aside from that, I'm extraordinarily pleased with my purchase, and I considered many machines in my price range. I settled on this one because I enjoyed playing more than most in my price range. One of the pluses for the specific machine I purchase is that NVRAM was already installed in place of the batteries. I don't know if you've done the research, but batteries on a board they way they were built until fairly recently is a bad thing because they leak acid on the boards and cause damage. Your choices are basically install a remote battery pack, upgrade the board to a lithium button cell batter, or install NVRAM. The most desirable of those options is NVRAM. For someone familiar with the work, it's a pretty simple procedure, but most technicians are going to charge in the $150-200 range to install it. For me, it was worth paying a little more than what I was going in expecting to pay. I went in ready to pay $3,000 for my Hook, and I paid $3,200. Note, the asking price was $3,500, which I felt was a bit excessive.

I wish you luck in your decision, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. I think you'll love Hook, and don't let someone's bad mojo steer you away from something that insterests you or appeals to your pinball desires. YOU are the only one that has to like it. I don't think the value of these things are going to go down anytime soon.

If you can't play it watch YouTube videos of it.

It will give you a decent vibe on whether or not you might like it.

Hook is one of my favorite movies also.

I wouldn't mind owning one.

But alas space..space space!!

Trust what Dussiej says, that was an awesome write up!

I wish I could upvote it twice!

Nostalgia is a powerful factor in collecting. I bought my first pin because I had played it often with my cousin years earlier. If Hook strikes your fancy, get the Hook! Yes, you should inspect the machine you will buy in person, but don’t be afraid of repairs or parts. Take the plunge. If something goes wrong you will figure it out with our help. No matter what machine you get, even a new one, repair and maintenance is part of ownership. You have to start somewhere. You can always sell again and get something else if worse comes to worse.

Look up Ramp-O-Matic. They just released the windcoaster and jackpot ramps. I went ahead and bought both even though I don't even have Hook lol! Planning for my future purchase.

Everyone is a novice when they start something new. It is fun to learn new things. I thought soldering was going to be a nightmare, but it is super easy. I'd get your feet wet with Hook (or Demo Man). Spend less money, learn how to fix and maintain it, and have money left over for needed parts, etc. When I mentioned Marcos, I was more meaning they are a great resource for parts rather than entire machines. I made so many runs there while I was fixing my Demo Man that the helpful women up front knew me by name lol.

I can't speak on cost for the current times. I am a huge a Hook fan (both movie and pinball) though. Get ChadH code update and the Pinsound board. BEST 2 things that are must haves for the game. The code update fixes issues pinball players have and the pinsound board takes the game to a whole new experience. Hook wasn't my first pinball, but it was the first pinball I wanted. My entire family likes it. Casual company likes it but can't grasp the rules and competitive pinball players don't seem to give it much attention. So for price I wouldn't spend a lot if you are trying to break even by selling it or trading it over time because as great as the game is (ESPECIALLY with the new code and pinsound) I wouldn't bank on Hook becoming a highly sought after machine. But hands down you should get it, I just wouldn't expect to flip it for a profit or easily find buyers who are interested in paying for a high end restored machine.

The last thing you want to do is pour extra time and money into a Hook.

Buy the Hook. Maybe you'll love it like you did years ago. Maybe you'll realize it sucks and get rid of it quickly. Regardless of what you do, I don't see why you'd spend $400 or so on a "pinsound."

Even the rom set will set you back another $50 or so, right? There are rule changes that make it more acceptable for a tournament. You don't need it.

Ive owned a Hook, fairly recently. The problem isn't the rules (which admittedly aren't great, everything is a hurry up), the problem is the terrible layout and neither an expensive aftermarket sound board nor a set of ROM chips with light rule tweaks is going to fix that.

When it's time to get rid of it, you'll be glad you don't have an extra $500 you are trying to recoup in the sale. You are almost guaranteed to lose money on any "mods" you put into a game, beyond a color DMD.

While there is some truth that you don’t want to put a bunch of money in a machine if it isn’t worth it but plenty of us enjoy the hobby of working and playing them more than trying to flip them for a profit. If adding a feature is something that is valuable to you, then do it. I’ve got a project pin in my garage that will probably be break even for me but I knew that going in and I just like working on them, that is worth something to me so I bought it.

Chad's code balances the scoring rules that was often a main gripe of competive players. People would keep aiming for the windcoaster ramp to rack up points. Chad's code change log can be found here: https://www.pinballcode.com/hook501 Pinsound allows alternative audio to be played. Trust me, if you are a fan of the movie and looking for Hook, get the Pinsound board. Worse case scenario, if you don't like it (which I guarantee you will love it), you can sell your pinsound board and not take that much if a hit. But if you're going to spend a couple grand on a pinball, set aside the extra 300 bucks or whatever a pinsound board costs and get that as well. Good luck on your hunt!

Again, this ROM isn't gonna make a difference for a noob buying a Hook, so why throw money away on it? The chances of this appearing in a tournament are slim and none.

And the "windcaster" ramp repeat strat isn't as easy as it seems. Doesn't take long for the right flipper to start getting tired. And that's a STEEP ramp.

Levi, I agree for most things a new person isn't going to benefit greatly from a typical scoring update. Chad's code does have some tweaks to help gameplay even a beginner can benefit from, like inserts flashing to indicate what to aim for, adding a few extra animations, increasing ability to earn extra ball, etc. For the cost, I don't think it's that much to put in a new ROM for someone who is seeking a Hook for their first machine. Someone who just wants a pinball machine and has no affinity for the theme, yeah, then I'd say skip it.

Pinsound board? That one I'll die on the hill for. If you like the movie, get the Pinsound board. If you get annoyed by the original call outs. Get the pinsound board. If you literally do not care about music in general and call outs do nothing for you in any game, and your family feels the same... well, then yes, the pinsound board isn't for you. But for any one else, Pinsound for Hook is an add on that actually increases your appreciation/enjoyment of the game.

I've never dealt with this mod before. Is it noob-friendly to install and use?

For the ROM it was super easy. I got ROMs from Matt's Basement https://mattsbasementarcade.com/product/hook-data-east-pinball-cpudisplay-rom-upgrade-set/ (and donated to ChadH for taking the time to figure out how to update thr code). To swap out the ROMs you just pry out the old ones and put in the new ones. As longs as the pins are lined up and not bet you just push it into the slot. Takes minutes to do.

Pinsound is easy now that there is files for the game set up. Before it was a headscratcher to get it right. If you are able to move files on a computer it's pretty easy. Putting in the board is straight forward as well.

Everyone has their own game preferences on what they like. If you play it and like it, buy it. I have one and enjoy it.

If the ramps are not broken but are hazy, I would not spend money on new ramps especially if the game is in average condition.

https://rampomatic.com/collections/data-east-ramps

System 11 games are others near the price range of Hook to consider.
www.system11.org

Forgive me for bumping a 1 year old thread but I'd like to ask the OP what he feels about the Hook game after a year of ownership? Any regrets after buying?

I ask as I'm looking at one as well.

I know I’m not the OP but I’ve had mine for about 5 years now, gets just as much play as the rest of my games, it’s never leaving. I have a lot of nostalgia for it as I grew up watching it on VHS everytime I stayed home sick from school. With Chads updated ROM it’s very balanced scoring wise and a lot of fun to play multiball or chase bangarang. I feel like this game gets a bad rap because it came out the same year as Adam’s family and Creature etc so people are expecting the same type of game. For the price they usually go for I think it’s a great game and a great value.

I'm not OP either, but it still sucks and theres a lot better games out there for the same price or less