I would suggest lurking around the S1 forums. You can get a good feel for problems with machines when new, after a year, etc.
I still hang out there and post, mostly on the roasting topics. The people there are great, just like around here, and that is the real reason I even go to it anymore.
http://www.rimpo.org/wforum/
I have also been a semi-active member at Chas's Spaz group for over a year, I agree the members there are great, as they are here. Unless one is wealthy; quality espresso equipment can be a substantial investment, especially if one steps back and ponder a moment what the end purpose is: to make a coffee beverage. Chris I truly feel bad you had a bad experience with your Spaz, my biggest problem after over a year, is I will have to replace the group gasket soon, ( Chris?s coffee had the generous foresight to include a spare with the machine.
I think to be fair, the link for The Spaz's competitor should be listed. Below is the link to the Brewtus group, although this group is not as organized as the Spaz group, if one Lurks there also, I believe they will get a sense of user?s experiences both the good, and frustrations, along with the service & support by the vendors. Prospective buyers who are trying to decide between these two competing machines should scrutinize the post of both groups and draw their own conclusions. My conclusion was to go with the V2 and over a year I?m more than happy with that choice, having said that, and I went the other way, I may have been happy with the Brewtus also, but I have no regrets. I purchased the Spaz over a year ago and that machine still turns me on, when I turn it on.
http://groups.google.com/group/brewtus/topicsgood luck
Bud
P.S. I understand how disheartening it can be to make a major purchase only to find out that a short time later that you could have made a better choice. I?m only posting this to give prospective buyers more tools to make their decisions- I have been there too, you know; this one or that one, that?s a lot of dough, are other owners happy, what kind of problems will it have, is it easy to get parts, should I plumb, ?..and a thousand other questions that race through ones mind when making a purchase like this. Again good luck.