Need Advice Before Buying La Pavoni Professional

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
thecoffeefield
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#1: Post by thecoffeefield »

I have an opportunity to purchase a brand new La Pavoni Professional with the wooden handles/knobs for around $500 (I think it's around $1K new), is that a good deal? Also, what do I need to lookout for? This model is the one with the large green button on the side. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

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homeburrero
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#2: Post by homeburrero »

I assume it's from someone who purchased it or was gifted it and never really used it. $500 is a good deal for that model if in perfect working and cosmetic condition. If you can test that it works, or trust the seller who claims that it works, that would be good. Very little could go wrong: If it were turned on without water in the boiler, the element could have burned out. If that happens it would not heat up and would need a $100+ repair. If it were stored with water in a sub freezing garage it could have a ruptured boiler and other damaged parts, and that might even be prohibitively costly to repair.

After long storage the seals and gaskets may have dried and hardened but that's easily solved by a gasket kit. If the piston seals are bad it may leak water at the group when up to pressure, and might allow the lever to be pulled down without generating good flow at the puck. Sometimes a machine from storage needs just needs a few good pumps of hot water before those piston seals start sealing well.

The Pro with the green switch could be the latest model, or might even be the older one with the pre-millennium group. If you don't know and can post a pic of the actual machine where we can see the group, people on the forum can tell you which one it is. The pre-millennium models were sold mostly before 2001, but old stock was available that may have sold much later than that.
Pat
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thecoffeefield (original poster)
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#3: Post by thecoffeefield (original poster) replying to homeburrero »

Thank you so much for the info. Here's a picture of the box as the owner claims it was never opened or used before.


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homeburrero
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#4: Post by homeburrero »

The machine on the box picture is definitely a millennium model. Looks like a sweet deal to me.
Pat
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mwebber
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#5: Post by mwebber »

If you have any opportunity at all to test it before buying it, I highly recommend it! Online listings can look much worse (or much better) than the machine's actual state, and many things can break and not look broken. When I bought my La Pavoni, I drove a couple of hours to meet the seller at his house and pulled a dozen shots before being satisfied with the machine's condition. The person I bought it from was fantastic, highly knowledgeable and not only replaced all the seals and gaskets prior to purchase, but included two spare sets for future maintenance. Pavonis are very simple machines, and general maintenance can all be performed on your own.

The most important things to look out for are leaks (especially around the sight glass and portafilter), pressurestat settings and repeatability (make sure to test these after bleeding out false pressure through the steam wand), how easy (or challenging!) locking in the portafilter is, and how the machine looks both under the drip tray (which rusts easily) and on the underside of the machine (a single screw holds the black plastic base to the chromed base, and you can examine the visual state of essential components here). Make sure to check the sight glass and boiler for scale: this is easily remedied but can be indicative of the sort of person who last owned it. A machine with fresh gaskets, no scale, and no leaks tells you that the owner took care of it, but ultimately the proof is in the workings. If you can't drive over and pull a shot yourself, maybe you could ask the owner for a video?

I see the owner claims it's never been out of the box before- even if this is true, it doesn't mean you won't have to replace the gaskets (especially if it's been sitting dry for a long time), so I highly recommend reading up on how to do so and buying a spare set with the machine!

thecoffeefield (original poster)
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#6: Post by thecoffeefield (original poster) replying to mwebber »

If the machine is in fact new and I'm able to visullay confirm that, is it still realistic to ask to pull shots? I'm worried that the seller may refuse to pull shots from a brand new machine as that will technically change the condition from new to used. If the machine is new, is it safe to say that rust and dried up gaskets are the only issues that may arise? I will definitely check and test the boiler as recommended in this thread

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russel
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#7: Post by russel »

If I was selling a new and unused LP Pro w/ wood bits for $500 and some buyer asked to pull test shots...I would refuse...and if that buyer didn't have cash in hand...I would sell it to the next buyer. If I received said request in an email or phone call, I would probably wash my hands of that buyer and move on.

$500 is a fair price for a working used PG-16. Getting a deal in a private sale involves risk. If you have to have a sure thing, save up and buy new.
russel at anacidicandbitterbeverage dot com

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thomasben
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#8: Post by thomasben »

thecoffeefield wrote:I have an opportunity to purchase a brand new La Pavoni Professional with the wooden handles/knobs for around $500 (I think it's around $1K new), is that a good deal? Also, what do I need to lookout for? This model is the one with the large green button on the side. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
I second the above advice. But yes that's definitely a solid deal!

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mwebber
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#9: Post by mwebber »

thecoffeefield wrote:If the machine is in fact new and I'm able to visullay confirm that, is it still realistic to ask to pull shots? I'm worried that the seller may refuse to pull shots from a brand new machine as that will technically change the condition from new to used. If the machine is new, is it safe to say that rust and dried up gaskets are the only issues that may arise? I will definitely check and test the boiler as recommended in this thread
If the machine is indeed brand new I don't think the seller would be receptive to the idea of pulling shots with it, especially if they never pulled it out of the box upon getting it. I paid $500 for a well-loved machine and thought it was a fair price. That much for an unused machine with wooden hardware is a steal, and any issues you find are (most likely) easily addressed. Is it a risk? Yes, but it's one I would personally not hesitate to take.

thecoffeefield (original poster)
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#10: Post by thecoffeefield (original poster) »

I may have lost deal. I pushed for testing it out and he refused, only saying that he will show it to me and take it out of the box. I'll see if I can salvage this and hopefully it works. Should I at least push for plugging it in and turning it on?

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