Suggestions for an espresso machine

Sad day my Saeco Syntia coffee machine is on its last legs. It has been mostly very good although it has been patched up once before and now I can't decide whether to shell out about A$500 for a major overhaul including new boiler or should I just get a new machine. This one is now nearly 5 years old and has turned 2 to 3kg of coffee beans/month into coffees ever since I got it (we like a good coffee).
If I replace it the budget is a fairly loose A$1000 as I could go a bit more if needed. My criteria is it needs to be fully automatic (don't want manual) and must have the grinder built in and be able to make both long and short espresso coffees at the push of a button. Less important is a medium sized footprint as we don't have an abundance of bench space although it can be taller than the Saeco. Stainless steel finish or Titanium finish would also be a plus as it would match our other appliances but this is the least important.

I have looked at De Longhi, Jura, Gaggia and the new Saeco but it is hard to choose. I have been very happy with my Saeco but they are now owned by Phillips and look to be much cheaper quality so now I don't know.
Does anyone have good experience with Jura or De Longhi as these are the ones I am leaning towards.
An overhaul may save a few $$$ in the short term but home espresso machines don't seem to last much longer than about 6 or 7 years with or without an overhaul so an overhaul might not be a good investment.

Suggestions from anyone with direct experience or knows someone with a good automatic espresso machine, will be greatly appreciated.

Here is a picture of a Syntia the same as mine.

http://www.kofevar.com.ua/Image_Product/Cafemaschine_auto/Haus_maschine_BlaserCafe/saeco_syntia_digital_inox_468.jpg

Thanks :cool

 

Thanks for your good wishes and the link Laura, I didn't see that one :-D :cool and it even has geek in the URL :-o

Looks like now I know my work flow priorities for the day LOL

BTW I usually drink my coffee latte but it starts as a double short espresso in a normal sized coffee mug :yum

 

Thanks Tim is that a DeLonghi and what model? Has it been reliable? Not so worried about the price but want it to be reliable. If it is about A$1000 it will cost about A$2000 all up by the time I get something the good lady wife wants for about the same value
Cheers

 

One of my co-workers recently bought one for like...a lot.

It was over a thousand dollars for it.

TimW is probably right about it being 40 bucks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...6101538&cm_re=espresso-_-96-101-538-_-Product

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...6811092&cm_re=espresso-_-96-811-092-_-Product

:-D

 

Holy Cow that's expensive! I just bought a personal blender for $20 and thought that was a little expensive :-D


I don't drink coffee, or espresso but my friend has one like this that she really likes.

http://www.amazon.com/Gaggia-14101-...veASIN=B0001KOA4Q&ascsubtag=espresso-machines

 

Thanks Adry this would be OK if it ground the beans and cleaned itself after it makes the coffee I've been spoiled for 5 years and want fully automatic again :-D

Now this is more the go and I would get one immediately if Saeco hadn't been taken over by Phillips and had their products cheapened :cool
I believe this model in the link has just been superceded but I am on to it to see if I can find some old stock maybe at a cheap price :-D

Hey Dy, did you know Gaggia are the original inventors of Espresso machines and they used to be owned by Saeco (Saeco was their commercial division) and Gaggia machines are great except I haven't seen a fully automatic one. My mate has the same model Gaggia and it makes a really great cup of coffee but you have to grind the beans separately then clean the machine afterwards
When clients come in for a chat, you want something quick and easy where you push a button or two and voila two nice cups of coffee are made then the machine cleans itself afterwards. Maybe I should look up some places that have a bigger range of Gaggia models coz they may have a fully auto one by now

Laura you are quite right, they "are" a major appliance as well as expensive and I am being a bit of a cheap a$$ as the Saeco Royal is what my heart lusts after but over here they are nearly A$3500 and my wife would start blowing bubbles if I spent that sort of money on a coffee machine for me without getting something equal for her so that is why I am looking around the $1000 mark :-D

Thanks everyone I am still checking things out and any info is really appreciated :cool

 

Update :cool
After looking at several retail stores and a couple of trade places and checking out the current range on offer I have now made my decision :-D
I am buying a three year old but still brand new Saeco Syntia in an unopened box. In Australia we have a thing similar to ebay called Gumtree and one of my buddies said he knew someone was putting it on Gumtree next week. I asked what the story was and my friend said that they got it for a wedding present and neither drinks tea or coffee ever so it was unwrapped but never opened and then stored in the hall cupboard. They were clearing out unused stuff to sell and this was going to be sold. Looks like I will get it for about $400 which is a bargain and I am going to look at it tomorrow and hope to bring it home with me :cool

Thank you everyone for your input and soon, with a bit of luck, I will be enjoying a nice cup of coffee from my new machine :drool :cool

 

Final update :-D
Aaahhhhhh..........what a lovely cup of coffee from my brand new/old coffee machine :drool
I couldn't pick it up until yesterday as they were away for the long weekend (probably at the Queen's birthday bash LOL) so yesterday I went for a bit of a drive to Bendigo which is about 200kms away in central Victoria and grabbed it for $350 (which is what they were asking). The box was still sealed and they said they had taken it to a local secondhand dealer and he only offered them $75 which is why they were putting it on Gumtree.

Took it home and unpacked it and it is identical to my old one :cool
I didn't realise how noisy my old one had become over the years until I heard the quietness of this new one :cool No more clanking sound when it empties the coffee grounds from the basket and the pump is so quiet it is a just a slight whirr instead of a loud growl culminating in a hissing and then a gurgling sound from the old one. I now realise my old one is much sicker than I thought which is why the service shop said it needed a total rebuild including boiler and pump. rolleyes
I am very pleased I was told about this bargain by my friend because it is still at least $150 cheaper than the rebuild quote :-D

Happy again and life is good :-D :cool