I was wondering if people can contribute to this thread to help people like me who want to upgrade but also consider dependability I very high priority.
Please name your espresso machine, how long you owned it, and what issues you have had with it. Please this is not meant to be knocking down equipment... just wanted the facts to make an informed decision.

I will start:
Breville Barista Express bought new. 2 1/2 years old. Grinder broke about 2 years after purchase. If I could do it over again (with the knowledge I have now) I wouldn't have bought a built-in grinder

Thanks everyone in advance

Randy

I have never kept a machine for years and years, so my experience may not be very helpful. The longest was a Rocket Espresso Cellini Evoluzione which I had for 2-1/2 years. I purchased it new, kept it well maintained, and never had any problems with it. Soon before I replaced it, the steam valve was getting pretty squeaky, so I purchased a new one, never installed it, and gave it to the new owner.

Come to think of it, none of the several machines I have owned over the years have had any mechanical or electrical problems to speak of.

Rocky

Izzo Alex Duetto II at 6 years old- purchased new. I have replaced the group gasket once. That's it, nothing else. Has been a work horse. My Vario grinder has been another story and after 3 years of troubles I said goodbye. Replacement = Fiorenzato F4e nano at 3 years old- perfect with zero issues

A suggestion for this is someone summarize what will hopefully be a very long thread into a Google Spreadsheet, or even turn it into a Google form, because right now it'll be a bunch of anecdotes that will only be useful to someone who reads through the entire thing. If you want the summarize into a sheet also maybe have a posting format like:
Manufacturer: ECM
Model: Elektronika Profi II
Years owned: 4
New?: Y
Water pump issues: N
Boiler issues: N
Grinder issues: N/A
Reliability (1-10): 10

To make it easier for whoever ends up actually using the data.

Vetrano 2b Evo. Had it about almost 2 years with a rocky grinder modded to make it stepless.

I plumbed it in, and other than a loose but when I got the machine which caused a tiny leak ( called Chris coffee, they said to try tightening the nut and that worked) nothing has broken.

I maintain it Pretty well, for the most part. Here's to hoping I get another 10 years plus, love the machine!! One thing though, I didn't like the tips it came with. I bought a 3 pack of izzo tips, and they have been great. I mainly use the water wand for Americano, but my wife likes cappuccino so I do use steam Wand also

Izzo Alex Duetto 3, had it 3 years with no problems at all! (even the group basket never replaced)
ECM technika (HX), had it 2 years with zero problems.

My common practice is soft water and twice a year descaling which is easy with internal tank.

Andreja premium purchased from Chris Coffee nearly 10 years ago now.

Component replacement (capacitor) on the controller board last year. Full service with Chris Coffee in 2015. Have only replaced incidental parts beyond that (group head gasket, water tank floats). Very happy

Alex Duetto among others, but this is one of the first in US. 8 years of use...
Early on, replaced a number of (poorly made) wiring splices, upgraded to SSRs: replaced steam valve seats, PID, OPV and Vac breaker....These were early on....In the last 6 years it has been a flawless workhorse. Many of the replacements were with items now in the Duetto 2&3.
Great machine that took Alex some time to mature the manufacturing issues, and now just keeps going, pulling excellent E61 shots...

Macap M4....Bomber grinder. Would probably last forever in home use...Replaced the burrs after 250+# and found that was really not necessary.

Cheers

All of my machines were bought used and not well cared for before me. All used on hard FL water before me. I only use softened water.

I had a Rancilio Silvia, used it for 3-4 years. It had been used for 5 years before I got it and not been well maintained. The only issues I ever had with it was rust on the frame behind the drip tray, and early on a piece of scale caught in the three way valve which I simply took apart and reassembled.

I had a Expobar Office Lever, used it for 2 years. It had been used for 3 years before I got it and not been well maintained. After descaling and cleaning, no issues with it.

I now have a Rocket Cellini Premium Plus v2. It had been used for 3 years before I got it and horribly maintained. Was sold as having an intermittent pump issue. After aggressive and repeated descaling, the pump issue was fixed. No other issues with it.

I say all this to highlight the fact that if a machine is well maintained, it can last for a very long time with few major issues. If not well maintained, it can be a crap shoot but these things are still very very robust.

I've also had 2 Baratza Virtuosos, 1 Vario, and 1 Sette-W. Each Virtuoso had an issue caused by anamalous circumstances; one with a stripped gear from a rock stuck in the burrs. The other from being in luggage that was opened by TSA, not repacked properly, and then dropped repeatedly by baggage handlers in SE Asia. The Vario never had any issues whatsoever, and was bought used. The Sette had an early issue with the gear and replaced for free by Baratza. No further issues, including when a screw that I "lost" when modifying my roaster was "found" when the burrs stopped. After removal, no damage to the burrs or other components.