Hi everyone,

I'm back again. With the help of your advice, I purchased a super jolly. Now it's time to buy a machine! I plan to make at least 1 shot a day and milk drinks occasionally.

I've found an unused 2005 Expobar pulser and a Livia 90 automatic that is 2 yrs old but supposedly in great condition.

The pulser is new, so that is a huge plus. And it's selling for a great price. Play it safe? People seem to think the build quality is cheap/poor but does that affect reliability or cosmetics? Also, I'm curious as to why the pulser is now selling at over $1k when it used to be $800? Have there been any recent revisions?

The livia is used and from reading online it is unreliable due to the extra electronics of the automatic, and repairs are very costly. It is a much better machine I assume but is it worth the risk?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

I am not sure where the unreliable issue rumors come from with the livia but would conclude that it requires regular backflushing, dispersion screen cleaning etc. I have heard of costly repairs however. All this being said, I think the Livia is a better choice. Can't go wrong with either and it may very well depend on who your seller is between the two.

The expobar has been sitting unused for 5 years. Would there be any problems from it being that old? Like dried out rubber or something?

There may be some degradation. You might want to have new rings on hand just in case. That would be steam wand, water wand and portafilter gasket.

A bit late but how and where was the Expobar stored? Any chance of frezzing would kill it's value.
KDM

beckman wrote: Also, I'm curious as to why the pulser is now selling at over $1k when it used to be $800?

The dollar is weaker against the Euro than it was in 2005 (.8EU/$ versus .7EU/$). Plus, inflation.