# Well, This Was a Impulse Buy...

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2022-09-22  
**Duration:** 19m 54s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwDb59uxhUY

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy impulsively won a large arcade cabinet at an online auction in Mineral Wells, Texas. After struggling to transport and fit the machine into his house due to its size (31 inches wide), he documents the disassembly process, removing side fairings, the monitor, and marquee to squeeze it through doorways into his game room. The machine powers on and plays, though he notes some questionable wiring and components that require further inspection and cleanup.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The machine measures 31 inches across, almost the exact width of the garage-to-game-room doorway — _Cary directly measures and states this multiple times during disassembly_
- [HIGH] The machine was listed as having a new rebuilt PC and working great according to the auction listing — _Cary states the auction description claimed this; he didn't verify before purchase_
- [HIGH] The machine powers on, calibrates correctly, and appears to run games (though with some operational quirks) — _Cary demonstrates the machine powering up and attempting to play games during testing_
- [HIGH] Multiple bolts and fasteners on the machine are either oversized or held with t-nuts, requiring extensive disassembly — _Cary documents removing security bits, lug nut bolts, and 3-inch screws throughout the disassembly process_
- [HIGH] The machine has questionable wiring, iffy connections on the power supply, and other concerning issues requiring further investigation — _Cary notes 'very iffy connection' on power supply and references 'questionable things' and 'little other questionable items' requiring follow-up_

### Notable Quotes

> "I'm buying something on an online auction and I don't even know how I'm going to get it in my house."
> — **Cary Hardy**, Opening
> _Sets up the central conflict of the video_

> "I don't have to find a place for it in my house... And then sure enough, no one outbid me. So there I was essentially in a way stuck with this machine."
> — **Cary Hardy**, Early auction discussion
> _Reveals the impulsive nature of the purchase and regret_

> "I'm pretty sure that keyboard being here is not standard. So I'm definitely curious to see what is going on inside."
> — **Cary Hardy**, Initial power-on
> _Flags an anomaly suggesting non-standard modifications or maintenance_

> "This thing is ready but I'm gonna have to take this door off the hinges so let's do that."
> — **Cary Hardy**, Final fitting phase
> _Shows the extent of modifications needed to fit the cabinet indoors_

> "This is simply not good enough for me. I mean, I want to get this all cleaned up, get that all nice and polished."
> — **Cary Hardy**, Post-installation assessment
> _Indicates his restoration/cleaning standards despite uncertain future plans_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Cary Hardy | person | Content creator and arcade/pinball enthusiast who impulsively purchased an arcade cabinet at auction |
| Jason | person | Cary's buddy who won items at the same auction and provided transport with his flatbed truck |
| Mineral Wells, Texas | location | Location of the online auction where Cary purchased the arcade cabinet |
| Cary's spouse | person | Assisted with removing the monitor from the arcade cabinet during disassembly |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade cabinet acquisition and transport logistics, Mechanical disassembly and restoration process, Online auction dynamics and impulse buying
- **Secondary:** Cabinet condition assessment and maintenance concerns, Home space constraints and gaming room setup

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.35) — Cary expresses initial buyer's remorse and frustration with the size/fit challenges, but shows enthusiasm during disassembly and testing. He acknowledges the machine may 'look really cool' once installed, though he remains uncertain about keeping it. The tone shifts from regretful to engaged as he troubleshoots, ending with commitment to restoration work.

### Signals

- **[market_signal]** Online auction market for arcade machines shows volatility; machines selling at unpredictable price points with auction dynamics (shill bid concerns) affecting final prices (confidence: medium) — Cary mentions shill bid concerns, describes watching other machines sell 'pretty low' before his unexpectedly bid up, leaving him uncertain about fair value
- **[product_concern]** Arcade cabinet exhibits questionable wiring, iffy power supply connections, and non-standard modifications (keyboard, t-nut fasteners) suggesting either previous repairs or manufacturing inconsistencies (confidence: high) — Cary documents 'very iffy connection' on power supply, oversized bolts/screws, non-standard keyboard, and notes multiple 'questionable items' requiring investigation

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## Transcript

Well guys, I bought something on an online auction and I don't even know how I'm going to get it in my house. Now I don't tend to go to auctions anymore. And I have my reasoning and one of those reasons is shill bids. So I kind of just stay away. And who's to say that I didn't have that with this online auction? Because going through all the items that were for sale, and there was like over 380 some odd items, and for my fellow Texans that were on that auction as well, this was the one located in Mineral Wells. So I'm going through there, and I'm like, you know, I could get a couple of these, or I could get just one of this. and I'm like, I don't know, we'll see. And I even registered for it. I was like, here we go. And sure enough, I'm watching the machines that I was going to bid on go for pretty low. And I'm like, man, I could have gotten two of those. Man, hopefully mine doesn't get bid up too high. Well, of course, it gets to mine and it goes up, it goes up, and it just keeps going and going. And honestly, it got to the point to where I was like, all right, this is as high as I'm going. Final bid, that's it. And I got to where I was like, man, I really hope that I get outbid. I really do. Because if I get outbid, I'm like, good. I can just walk away, don't have to worry about it. I don't have to find a place for it in my house. I think it'll be just fine. It just wasn't meant to be. And then sure enough, no one outbid me. so there I was essentially in a way stuck with this machine that I don't even know if I'm gonna keep I don't know I've never even played this damn thing I was going strictly on like the looks and I watched some videos and I'm like it looks like it might be fun it's an impulse buy if I've ever had one and I know I've had plenty. So then it comes time for the pickup and I go by there for me it's like a it's about a two and a half hour drive. So I get there with my trailer and my mindset is I'm probably not going to be able to fit this in my trailer without taking like the marquee off or something like that. I'm expecting this machine to be able to be taken apart. So I get there right as like they're closing for the day at that. So I've got the auctioneers basically waiting on me to get the hell out of their way so they can go home. But I see that even if I was to remove the marquee, the backboard that holds up the marquee is almost just as tall as it's the marquee. So I'm like, okay, well, this is not going to fit in my trailer. My trailer is not that damn tall. So sure enough, there was no way for me to be able to fit this machine into the trailer. So luckily, my buddy Jason won a couple of items off of this auction as well. And he's got a flatbed and he came there today and he has successfully picked up my machine as well as his two items and he is almost to my house as we speak so i'm working today otherwise i would have gone with him so we're gonna unload this and i know i can't fit it through my front door so we're gonna be rolling it into my garage and i'm like i don't even know if it's gonna fit into my damn garage. I don't know what I'm going to do with this damn thing yet. Chances are I'm going to have to just roll it behind my house and have it somewhat in my garage. And then I've got to get back to work. And then I'm just going to deal with it and have to like disassemble all kinds of stuff on the sides and on the top. And we're going to have to like probably angle it in a certain way in order to get it into the threshold i don't know but i'm sure you're curious on what the hell the machine is and i'm trying to not give it away yet because i want hopefully i don't know if he's got to my house yet or not but i'm wanting it to be one of those where i can just record it as he's pulling up so then you can see it as it pulls up So that the effect I going for We shall see But yeah I already regretting the purchase And when I saw the machine up close and personal it going to need a little bit of TLC when it comes to aesthetics It's not bad. And supposedly it works great. I don't know for sure. I didn't get a chance to test it out or anything. But they stated on the auction that it works great. New rebuilt PC and stuff like that. But I don't know. I don't know guys so I'm almost at the house right now and we're gonna cut to what machine I impulsively bought and we're gonna see how it goes all right guys he should be here any second now he told me he was just down the road so I'm bound to see him coming around the corner with it I'm excited nervous at the same time because I guess a part of me doesn't want to have to deal with this damn thing but I think it's gonna look really cool in the game room once I get it all in position if I can get it in there I don't know we're gonna have to wait and see here we go he's been taking those corners slow it looks like and he has to this thing is on wheels There it is folks. We're just going to roll it off this thing onto the driveway. Well how was the drive? Slow. I'm definitely going to have a video on this, basically just trying to figure out how the hell I'm going to get it into the house. I'm going to probably have to remove the side paneling. Even then, I don't even know the width of the machine itself. I mean, it's going to be tough, dude. I'm going to have to measure that and figure it out because I'm thinking my front door might be wide enough but I'm still gonna have to take off this so I'm gonna take that off but I would like to hope that they would make a machine that wouldn't be this damn big yeah obviously yeah that's always the goal well I'm gonna have to tighten that up that's about as loose as all get out all right let's get this damn thing off of here it fit in the garage guys literally literally it like brushed against the damn seal right there but it fit it's in here it measures over a little 30 inches wide on the actual machine itself so i'm gonna have to remove all this extra fluff around the sides in order to get it into my house oh my god all right time to get busy on this damn thing and let's i was first thing i want to do is make sure everything works as per usual as i always recommend anybody does before just taking stuff apart is make sure the damn game works so uh i didn't get a power cable with it so that's awesome they gave me two sets of keys one of which does in fact work for the coin doors but these are not included so i'm gonna have to bust out my uh lock picking kit for this and we'll see if we can get that open then i'll have to change that out this one is being held evidently by these screws right here so that's awesome I'm pretty sure pretty sure the keyboard being here is not standard so I'm definitely curious to see what is going on inside well we got power going to it looks like it's turning on got a nice little red underglow right here that's pretty cool it's possessed please stand back all right all right so it calibrated that correctly so that's nice it's set on free play so that's also nice this thing like all the time that I do medium just straight to the Marsalago Or Okay let just do this We're just gonna do Grim's Lest now. Both of which were. I want man-help! I wish there was a clutch. I don't know if I'm switching. I am shifting. I am shifting. Did I go to the next year or not? Can I downshift? Doesn't look like I can. I think the majority of it is working. Definitely got a little kinks here and there that I might have to work out though. All right, first up on disassembly is to remove this side portion right here. And it looks like I've only got like a screw right here and maybe underneath here, down here. And I'm wondering if I'm really going to have to remove all these damn bolts right here that resemble lug nuts. It looks like this entire piece comes off in one good chunk. So let's see if that's all it takes us to get rid of all that and if it comes off or not. Okay, so once you remove the security bits that are located around the perimeter and you remove the lug nut bolts, then you have three more security bits. And then I'm going to assume this panel should come off. And I was correct. so one side down now let's work on the other side well i was going to wait to get into that until i got it inside the house but it looks like i've got no choice because this bolt is a free spinner and so i'm guessing we've got maybe a t-nut or something on the other side that's keeping it in place so i'm going to have to get on the inside of the cabinet and figure out what's going on to remove the remainder of this so interesting enough but not too surprising. I tried to pick this lock with my handy dandy picks right here and I was like okay it's interesting I've got it to go but it's not coming out. Then I noticed that there was like a screw tucked away behind here and a screw over here and not just your regular old thing these are like freaking three inch screws or what and there is why we cannot get this out. these are t-nuts that is a t-nut replacement someone evidently decided to use that instead so let's take that out and then we should be able to get this panel on the road i would like to know who decided that they needed bolts this damn long to hold on a piece of plastic. What? I mean, both of these? You've got to be kidding me. Alright, I've got both of the fairings off on the side over here. So this is 31 inches across, which is equivalent to almost the size and width of the door from my garage to my game room. So it's going to be a tight fit, but it ain't going to fit at all until I remove the monitor and the marquee up here. So I'm going to start going around and I'm going to have to undo this to see what all kind of wiring is connected to this marquee up here, as well as what's going on with the TV to see how this can be dismounted. Might be easy, might be hard. I don't know. But let's open this panel right here and see what we got. so with that panel being removed we have the power supply or one of the power supplies a very iffy connection okay very iffy connection I'm surprised it was still even giving me a good signal at all so it looks like in order to remove this I'm gonna have to disconnect all of these connectors from this board right here and these look very delicate so I'm going to be careful with those and for future reference I have the ability to adjust the monitor here but it looks like I just got like one two four bolts back here and maybe this thing might just come right off I don't know it almost seems too good to be true hmm I think I just need to actually remove these on the sides that would probably be my best bet so yeah let me remove these six three here and three on the other side and then we shall see how that goes looks like that's all connected as one so i don't yeah i don't think i'm gonna have to disconnect anything this is all part of the monitor right here so the only thing I'm gonna have to disconnect is this one hard to do with one hand so anyways I'm gonna remove this one with two hands so I don't screw anything up or rip these damn wires out and we'll move on okay upon further investigation I had one two three four five more bolts right here with security bits toppers and for whatever reason this one was much longer than the others so that's that so I'm thinking this thing will come out once I remove the other six bolts that are back here like so so I was correct those bolts in the front those six bolts in the back and then this thing basically is ready to come right out but i'm not doing this solo gonna bring in the wife to help me get this thing out of here all right monitor has been removed with assistance from the spouse now this thing now it looks like it's going to be connected right here so more than likely just disconnect this and these four bolts total one right here damn it's so blurry focus bolt here bolt here and there's another two bolts on the other side then I'd like to think that this thing would just come off all right let's see now this may look bad but this is what I'm doing in order to get it off with one person it's preferred to do it with two people but all I've done take out the bottom bolts on both sides loosen this one up relatively well remove the other top bolt and then I'm able to sway it down and have it resting on the cabinet right here then I can take this one out and then it should come completely off and then this thing should be ready to slide into my damn game room all right this thing is ready but I'm gonna have to take this door off the hinges so let's do that it's in the house it's here it's in the game room all of the components are all right here and it's gonna go over here to the far side I believe I have plenty of room for it but I need to get this thing cleaned up because it's dirty and I'm seeing all kinds of other kind of questionable things that I'm going to need to look into and figure out further about what is going on with certain things and there's little other questionable items that I'm going to be looking into because uh yeah this is simply not good enough for me I mean I want to get this all cleaned up get that all nice and polished I got to go through all the wiring to make figure out why certain things are not working but uh i'll do that on my own time and i don't know if you guys actually are interested and want to see that so if you want to see me clean this thing up we're not talking like a full restoration like i do my pinball machines but if you want to see the process and what i've done and going through and replacing things and figuring things out then by all means let me know in the comment section down below and then i'll be sure to upload that content as well either way my patrons will be getting this video and all the videos dealing with this because that's part of the perks of that so there we go you

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 510d4f26-2fd7-40cd-a7c7-d03ea6a8f410*