Good day,

I am new to the world of espresso. I live in Canada and have the opportunity to buy a used Rancilio Silvia V4 Pro for $600. I was wondering if I should get it now or save more to buy something better. Or get a new Gaggia Classic for $595+tax. I currently used an aeropress so I am totally a newbie. I just plan to make milk based espresso and I know that I would need to do temp surfing. I just plan to make 1-2 drinks a day. My plan is to get a lido e to match it or should I go with a pharos grinder.

Thank you

I'd recommend checking out this recent thread:
First espresso machine/grinder with ~$1000 budget

Thank you for the advice. I'll save some more money.

You're welcome! Yes, sadly making good espresso isn't cheap or easy (though better equipment makes it easier).
Tastes awesome when it's made right though.

$600CA is a great price for a used Silvia V4 - but the key issue is not whether it is a great price - it is whether one would want a SBDU (single boiler dual use) machine, and, if so, is a V4 the machine to get?

Given that you want to make milk-based drinks, an SBDU isn't ideal - but such a machine will work just fine for one or two drinks a day. Everyone has different values, but I wouldn't spend at least twice the money if I knew that I was only going to be making a couple capps or latte's a day. As for the v4, older Silvia's will be less expensive, and the only differences between a v3 and a v4 are the basket (trivial) and a modified boiler assembly to deal with people who don't understand how the machine should be used.

I'd advise having a look through the Newbie introduction to espresso videos to guide you in making an informed decision. They're excellent and helped me a lot.

Oh ... and I disagree that "making good espresso isn't cheap or easy" - but for sure it isn't cheap and easy!

Thank you, I am currently planning to get a good hand grinder first like a Rosco mini or lido 3. Then would figure out which espresso machine to get.