...for $499.99.
Or can one buy a used Gaggia Espresso/Coffee for <$100 and buy a Classic OPV for ~$50 and have the same brewing capabilities for a lot less money? Maybe one could use the remainder to buy a good espresso grinder & PID kit? Just a thought.
Been there.
Done that.
But that's not the route for everyone.
Not everyone wants to bake their own bread.
Not everyone wants to change their own oil.
Not everyone wants to build their own house.
I went the do-it-myself route before I bought the Classic, and I spent W A A A A Y more than the $399 I paid for the Classic buying clunkers, buying parts that did and didn't work, buying tools, etc. It was fun and I learned a lot, but it is not for everyone. Anyone who wants to do it should; for everyone else there's.....The Gaggia Classic (and darn, even then you have to add a PID....)
Actually, right now the very best thing anyone could do would be to buy the one Tex has FS right now. Dang...that's a good deal. And/or bid on the one Larry has donated for the auction. Now why weren't THEY available when I was buyin'
??