I've pretty much decided I can't be happy in this life unless I get a Cremina. A new one is out of the question, price-wise, so I'm wondering if there is a "golden age" for these machines? What manufacturing years or models would be be the best to invest in for a used Cremina?

Thanks for any info you can give!

Personally I'd aim for anything after 1983. IIRC that's when boilers were no longer insulated with asbestos. Aside from that, anything would be fair game. HB members srobinson and KarlSchneider wrote up a lengthy review on the 2002 model. You may also want to see this thread which asks a similar question (67 or 2002 model?).

That said, I encourage you to find someone who has one first, and compare it against your LP. There are several HBers in SF that have one - maybe visiting one of the next get-togethers would be an informative experience.

Sherman wrote:Personally I'd aim for anything after 1983. IIRC that's when boilers were no longer insulated with asbestos. Aside from that, anything would be fair game. HB members srobinson and KarlSchneider wrote up a lengthy review on the 2002 model. You may also want to see this thread which asks a similar question (67 or 2002 model?).

That said, I encourage you to find someone who has one first, and compare it against your LP. There are several HBers in SF that have one - maybe visiting one of the next get-togethers would be an informative experience.

Thanks for this info and suggestion, Sherman. I appreciate it very much!

I've got both a post '83 and a pre '83.
I'd say if the asbestos isn't up your alley, than yes, avoid it.
That being said, it's very easy (and safe, so long as you're careful) to remove and many pre '83's have already had it stripped.
If you're looking at straightforward build quality (totally disregarding the asbestos issue), my money is on earlier models. Both my '70 (partially restored - still trying to find a piston) and my '74 (fully restored and daily driver) are rock solid. My '91 is on permanent loan to fellow HB'er Jarvis Cochrane...