[buzzert]

Different pinball machines, like video games, all have varying levels of replay value. Almost all games made after 1990 will have some "wizard mode" (like a boss level) that's incredibly hard to get to.

That's the value in owning a machine, in my opinion. Keep it for as long as you can to beat the wizard mode. I actually owned a Metallica (Stern) for ~four years, but I was never able to get to the wizard mode ("End of Line"). It has a notoriously difficult wizard mode.

The other cool thing is that pinball machines really maintain their value. You'll likely be able to sell your machine for the same amount of money—if not more—than you bought it for!