I scored at a public storage auction! I found the Ferrari of espresso restaurant machines - a high end quality espresso machine. I presume that the storage lot belonged to a restaurant supply store. There was allot of equipment in that lot that was relatively similar to what you see in Starbucks.
We all know what high performance means - that's right high maintenance :( I tried taking the machine to a few service companies to get it checked out. Turns out there were a few issues that I needed to take care of before my first brewed cup because the espresso machine was sitting idle for so long that apparently it had several issues that needed to be addressed.
After searching I found a factory that gave me a hit list on exactly what was wrong with the machine. It read like a rap sheet; it listed all the things that were wrong with the machine. Thank goodness the shop was friendly enough to provide me a list of the parts needed, because I couldn't afford their service charges and hourly rates. After they helped me source parts, which wasn't that expensive going through them. I ordered my own tool kit here.
This is a first class operation. They are quick with follow ups - a response came within minutes of leaving my question. Lots of expert advice. Not to mention friendly, and I would say for what I received the tool kit is reasonably priced. I also got some expert advice.
Everything is looking good so far, the tools work amazingly well and I am still waiting for a few parts to come in, so thought I would take this time to leave my story. Not bad for buying a commercial machine on the cheap.