I don't own this machine. Used to have a Gaggia "Coffee", a now discontinued member of the Gaggia manual line, but never the classic.

I sold my Gaggia when I got our first superautomatic and have never looked back.

It looks like the price is pretty stable in the upper 400s online. a couple here and there you can save 20 bucks on. The cheapest offer outside ebay I could find was 359 for an open box return or display machine from http://www.compactappliance.com/

Sadly, they are out of stock. But there are a few on ebay used if you want to go that route to save some money. Just be sure you are buying the correct model for your location. The ones they are selling new for 400 on ebay are 240V models for European kitchens.

Best of luck finding and obtaining your dream machine!

Thanks for feeback...(I meant dreaming in my first post...see, no espresso when I was typing ;-) ).

Which superautomatic do you own that you love better than the Gaggia??

We bought the DeLonghi Magnifica about 4 years ago. We used it daily, sent it off to my wife's office for awhile when we got our Miele coffee system, and now it is sitting in our motorhome and goes on trips with us. It is a very nicely designed machine and makes a decent cup of espresso.

No superautomatic will equal the perfect pull you get from the pros, but it is still very good, and worth the world not to have to go through the pain in the butt you have to endure with the Gaggia.

You have to fill the machine, prime the boiler, wait for the warmup, around 7-8 minutes if I remember correctly. Then, you have to grind the coffee, load the basket, tamp it properly, attach it to the group, run the pump according to the protocol you follow, then, if you want steam, you have to take the boiler to a much higher temperature, wand the milk jug, then turn the steamer element off, purge the boiler of steam and get it back to just hot water, then make your next drink.

With the Delonghi, you put beans in the top, water in the reservoir, push one button and your drink is made. If you want steam, you flip a lever and use the wand, but as soon as that is finished, you flip the lever back and start making new coffees or espressos.

With our Miele, it fills itself with water automatically. All you do is fill up a thermos jug with milk, put beans in and start pressing buttons. Each time you press a button, a delicious coffee or espresso comes out the little spout. It is quite marvelous, really. If you are a lazy coffee lover such as myself, it is a big, tasty, box of nirvana.

Gaggia makes good machines. Except for the trusty stovetop Bialetti, it's what my family in Italy uses (though Rancilio makes a good products too).

I would recommend buying from a vendor from whom you can trust to get parts in a few years. Even if it costs a little more in the first place.

Good luck, and enjoy your coffee!

We have a Gaggia Syncrony Logic. I love this machine. I use it at least 5 times a day, every day, for 4 - 5 years! We love it. It has never given us any problem. We bought it on-line from a liable store. I load it up with espresso beans, and my husband uses the by-pass to make his cup of de-caf. I think you would be very happy with one of these.
I'm giving a link to the place where we bought ours.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gaggia coffee machine

WOW, that Syncrony Logic looks pretty.
The classic is semi-automatic (read: cheaper) so maybe for a first espresso machine, that is the route for me.
Thank you all.

If you want to save some dollars on a first machine, consider a refurbished one. Take a look at the ones on Whole Latte Love or Abbree Coffee. I understand they are under common ownership now -- I've bought from both of them and both of our espresso machines (DH took one to the office) were bought refurbished. I have no hesitation recommending them for retail, best price or helpful service.

When we bought ours, Gaggia was one of the brands they were recommending. I can't remember the reason (might have been the adjustable brewing head that let DH brew into an espresso cup and me into a tall mug), but we went with Jura-Capresso. You would probably be happy with either brand, but do check out the refurbished ones.

Here is a link that might be useful: Refurbished Models

I ordered the Gaggia Classic from Whole Latte Love yesterday! I can't wait.
Thank you again for suggestions and feedback.
They were having a sale so I just bit the bullet and ordered it.

Good luck with your new Gaggia, Wallycat. I am sure you will love it and that it will keep you in happy latte goodness for a long time to come. Enjoy!

Hope you love it. We ordered something similar and used it for 4 years or so until I got fed up with wiping fine coffee grounds off my white counters. We broke down and ordered a super automatic when we found the Jura refurbished. We have a cone for drip coffee if camping, the power goes out or whatever, but otherwise the espresso machine is the only coffee maker we use now and we have family who seem to consider it a highlight of any meal or visit. LOL Have fun!

I did not see any mention of grinders in the thread, so I have to ask whether you have plans for a grinder to go with your Gaggia Classic? To get satisfactory results with the Gaggia Classic you need to spend $300 - $500 to get an espresso-capable grinder. I hope this does not come as a shock to your budget plan. I can recommend specific grinders if you want more info.

Mrblandings,
I have a very good burr grinder (can grind turkish roast as well :-) ) and that was purchased several years back. THAT came as a shock to me way back then....oh the things we do for our habits, no? ;-)
I very much appreciate the feedback, support and input.

I think you'll enjoy it. I've been using it for about 4 years now (and am actually trying to sell mine on CL in DC). I'm taking the chance of our current kitchen remodel to upgrade (woo hoo!) to a machine that can be plumbed in. Got mine from WLL, too, and thought they did an outstanding job of shipping and customer support.

I made my first cappuccino!!!! Machine arrived today.
Some trial and error (thankfully, DH actually read the directions and guided me) but overall, a resounding success.

Congrats! Here's to many more