Topic: I thought I was buying a Tornado Classic....

[blackeyed]

So, a craigslist ad appeared the other day for a Tornado Classic.  I did just a tiny bit of research and decided to buy it.  The ad had a stock picture of a Classic and after talking with the guy he said it was in excellent condition and it's barely been played on.  When I showed up today, I noticed the table wasn't all black like I had expected, ...but I figured this guy knew more than me and that all Classic tables probably weren't all black.  I saw it had a side ball return, and from my tiny bit of research I knew that the nicer tables had that feature, so I bought it (for way too much $$$ based on the other posts on this site).  I get the thing home tonight and start trying to find one like it on the internet.  It took awhile, but now I think it is a non coin-op TP 2000.  It has black legs, but a mahogany cabinet.  It is a split cabinet type and he did give me the keys.   It seems to be in great condition, but needs some cleaning, some silicon, etc. 

After reading several posts, it seems like this table might be better than a Classic ?   Or not because it's so old ?  The seller made it sound like it was almost new, that he had bought it for his daughter, and her and her boyfriend only played it a few times.  I read that the newer tables have better foosball men, ...can I just buy the new men and put them on ?  Is it worth it to do that ?

Any help would be appreciated. 

[hackjob]

You know it depends where you plan to go with the sport.  Any TP is a decent table and it is likely really good as is....Overall you probably did well assuming you didn't pay too too much over $800.

The split cabinet is good because it upgrades and/or repairs easily; that is the playfield, rods, men, bushings, sidestrips, and handles are 100% interchangable with the modern stuff.  Unfortunately  te total upgrade is more of a financial decision if and when the time comes because the complete upgrade package adds up to about $700.  Most people just upgrade the sidestrips, forward 3 rod, 3men and all 8 handles if they need a more specific contemporary shooting feel to the table.  It is completely unnecessary unless you compete or plan to host events to change everything. 

Assuming this table is a bit dated and has older parts, well, a wise person will use this table for a while and keep and eye out for a t3000 coin if the sport is taking them there.  Otherwise it is best to keep it as is because it is a good table as is.  I would add that tornado has different manufacturing phases and sometimes older tables are better, or tougher, or have issues.  You have to do some research and see where your's falls.