Owning a Vivaldi II, I'm curious about what the old gal did that gave you fits, how you liked the espresso when it was working, and of course how the new machine compares.
When the machine worked, I loved the espresso and steam ability. Loved the temp control. Didn't care for the drain kit, large width, or Comic Sans font, but minor issues. However, like an Alfa Romea car, many weekends were spent with my metric wrenches trying to get the thing to work right. Here were some of the issues I recall (it has been a few years now):
1. Metal shavings in the lines. About every month, I would have problems with something not working right, and needed to open the machine, figure out where the shaving might be, take apart some plumbing, and eventually find it. This happened on about 4 or 5 occasions as I recall. This was recognized as a manufacturing issue by ChrisCoffee. Remember, this was the first gen of the VII (2007?).
2. Bad 3-way valve. They sent me a new one, and I replaced it, which was a pain.
3. Bad Pump. Towards the end (I refer to these as the dark days), the quality of drink I was used to, went downhill. I think the pressure gauge was acting weird too. Anyway, we finally figured out it was the pump. It had a leak, and had been that way for a LONG time, due to the amount of corrosion, so who knows how much that affected things. They sent me a new one and replaced it. Also a pain. I listed it immediately, and found a new owner to take it far away.
ChrisCoffee was great at troubleshooting and helping me with repairs and sending parts. I dont think they did anything to compensate me for all that time and skinned knuckles, except maybe they extended my warranty by a year at some point.
Looking at the VII now, I still wouldn't buy one. They just make an ugly machine, and for ~ $2500, I should be able to get something that can make great coffee, and look good too.