I'd say the split cabinet design (TP/COINOP) has a great deal of advantages, especially with heavy use, resale value, or repairing possible vandalism / damage from "hack" usage. Cleaning the inside / ball routes, changing the playfield, repairing the MDF, and moving the cabinet all become considerations with serious long term use. The freeplay is a bit of a hassle on the coin op, but by no means is a show stopper.
If you are considering this table for light / home use, I would think about it yet I would be very critical about it's condition. Carefully evaluate for the play field condition for warping or damage, the integrity of the goal post areas, mdf warping or laminate separation, nonbalance figures, and consumer thin wall rods. These should all figure into your offer. I would say, they are all items that could scuttle the deal given their significance to game play and repair costs. The single cabinet design complicates big repairs, and the parts on it could be quite inferior and expensive to upgrade to current TP standards if that is where you wish to take it over time.
Given your seniority with the game, I'd say wait patiently for a split cabinet and jump on it. Consider a TP3000 used.
FYI - My Brown early 90s brown marble coin was purchased for $450, and only needed minor repairs ($100). I chose to upgrade most of it to T3000COIN spec ($400+) which was a bit of an expensive route to take for an older table. I must say, I enjoyed the rework, and getting intimate with Tornado craftsmanship. I'd say I broke even with newer used COIN tables purchased in my region (if I could actually view and purchase one before it sells), and now I have mostly new parts throughout...
Although it worked out well, I feel I took on too much risk with the purchase and spent a significant amount of time and effort getting the parts and table together. Out of the whole project I would say two relevant things...1) the split cabinet is a very very handy feature 2) Tornado coin op is great for parts and DIY repairs... like it or not, the coin table has not changed much in 20 years which gives you some confidence when negotiating price in the used market. I think the TP has a similar legacy but simpler mechanics inside.