so the new model is no good anymore?????

Not as good as the older ones. The new ones don't allow the mods to be done to it. The OPV valve and the steam arm swap.

 

Not as good as the older ones. The new ones don't allow the mods to be done to it. The OPV valve and the steam arm swap.

I agree its not as good as the older ones.

But you can fit the silvia wand and do the OPV mod.

You just have to buy a different version of the wand and it is slightly harder to fit. A full fitting guide is on this site.

The OPV is also covered in a guide attached to the wand thread.

But its been found that the OPV may not need adjusting as the 2 people known to have fitted a pressure gauge to the 2015 model have found it to be at about 10bar anyway at factory setting.

 

For those of you contemplating buying a used Gaggia and worrying about it breaking. I've had mine for years, probably over 6 and maybe 8. I planned to buy a lovely dual boiler and upgrade when the thing packed up. It hasn't and still going strong. I do clean it, descale and back flush, sometimes taking out the shower too.

It's served me well for years and I've knocked out some cracking drinks on it - better than the chains in my opinion. I paired mine with an Iberital MC2 and got great results with the Silvia steam wand. Make sure you read or watch a couple of vids to learn when the steam is up. Still going strong. The desire to upgrade got the better of me and I bought a dual boiler Expobar. I does show up the steam power, which only really shows when making more than one latte. For a few cups per day, they are great value and will give you years of fine drinks.

Same as the other posts. Try to make sure the machine has been cleaned and descaled regularly. I wouldn't hesitate to get a used, decent machine.

 

I wouldn't be overly concerned about the model, as long as it is one with a 3-way valve. I was using a 2nd hand baby class in Australia at work, which, ironically was brought over from the UK by the previous owner. It needed a major descale at one point before settling in on the soft Sydney water, and was working wonderfully since then. The steaming isn't great but with a bit of temperature surfing it was producing similar shots to my ECM worth 10x as much.

And, yes as above backflush EVERY DAY and scale regularly if you plan to keep it functional. As long as it still works when buying 2nd hand it can be restored without much difficulty.

 

What is a fair price to pay for a pre '15 Classic in good condition? Also once I buy one, with it being used, is it worth replacing all the seals immediately so that I know they're done?

 

I recommend replacing the seals if you are DIY skilled and equipped. It is petty much guaranteed the boiler seal will already be blown when you buy it second hand, Its just that the owners don't know and the leak is usually very small. One of the problems with having an aluminium boiler.

Prices vary a lot. Being a bargain hunter and planning to refurbish, I would aim for £70 or less, but this can involve a waiting period monitoring eBay and gumtree. If you wanted something with a refurb already done, I would expect a good price starting £100 and going up to £150.

 

Anyone spotted any good deals on these recently?

 

Anyone spotted any good deals on these recently?

Im also on the hunt for a sweet deal

 

I ended up with a tebe (with recent proffesionally installed seals) for £40 after narrowly missing aout on an £80 classic (most were going for well over £100). I figured since they share the same inernals it was worth a punt & couldn't be happier.

 

Hi all,

I know this is probably the most commonly asked question in the forum, but I'm new here so be kind! Does anyone know of any Gaggia Classics for sale? I'm open to both pre and post 2015 and used or new, it's the condition that is important.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

There's a nice gold one in the for sale section

 

Thank you Jacko, I've just sent a message on the post so fingers crossed. I didn't even know they made a limited gold model!

 

And if it's dfk41s you can be sure it's in really good condition too.

 

This is sounding too good to be true!

 

It's worth looking at the Facebook Marketplace too (it's essentially gumtree on facebook). I think you can only get to it through the app but there are some nice classics on there every now and again. Someone was even giving an old one away for free the other day!

 

Theres quite a few bargains on Ebay at the moment

 

I'm looking to get my first machine soon and decided on the classic

Seems like a good'un to get started on! Just wondering what price i can expect to pay for a looker with PID and wand mod?

Cheers

 

get a standard model and do the mods yourself, especially the wand as its 1 nut to swap it out. PID is a little trickier so if you see one with it added your probably looking upwards of £170

but a standard one in good condition should go between £70 - £120.

 

Has anyone used the newest model of the Classic? Is it that bad? Or just not up to the quality of the original? Can they still be bought new (the old ones) ?

 

I would go for a new one because of the aluminum boiler in the old one:

https://goo.gl/uDF2Th

 

Hi I just found a classic compared to what has been written in here seems a bit expensive but I'm totally new to the coffee machine industry being a total newbie I don't want to get ripped off. The deal is as follows £240 for

Gaggia classic - 2006 made in Italy version, not like the poorer quality version now available to buy.

The following upgrades have been done. I would recommend you do some reading around the internet to know why they are good.

- A PID controlling both brew and steam temperatures has been fitted. This includes an RTD PT100 temperature sensor replacement on the boiler for better accuracy. The PID massively reduces the fluctuation in the water temperature and allows you to accurately set the temperature you want for greater control.

- Replaced original steam wand with much better Rancilio Silvia v2 wand.

- The pressure is adjusted to 9 bar to improve extraction. Also included are:

- A quality heavy wooden tamp.

- The original portafilter.

- A bottomless portafilter.

- The original single and double baskets. - An extra double basket.

- A triple basket (only fits in the bottomless portafilter as its so deep). - A blank basket used for cleaning.

This machine has been regularly descaled and backflushed and is in full working order.

Any one think that's to pricey I'm tempted until reading some of the prices earlier in the thread.

 

Hi I just found a classic compared to what has been written in here seems a bit expensive but I'm totally new to the coffee machine industry being a total newbie I don't want to get ripped off. The deal is as follows £240 for

Gaggia classic - 2006 made in Italy version, not like the poorer quality version now available to buy.

The following upgrades have been done. I would recommend you do some reading around the internet to know why they are good.

- A PID controlling both brew and steam temperatures has been fitted. This includes an RTD PT100 temperature sensor replacement on the boiler for better accuracy. The PID massively reduces the fluctuation in the water temperature and allows you to accurately set the temperature you want for greater control.

- Replaced original steam wand with much better Rancilio Silvia v2 wand.

- The pressure is adjusted to 9 bar to improve extraction. Also included are:

- A quality heavy wooden tamp.

- The original portafilter.

- A bottomless portafilter.

- The original single and double baskets. - An extra double basket.

- A triple basket (only fits in the bottomless portafilter as its so deep). - A blank basket used for cleaning.

This machine has been regularly descaled and backflushed and is in full working order.

Any one think that's to pricey I'm tempted until reading some of the prices earlier in the thread.

Definitely a BARGAIN!

 

They tend to go for at least that much once a PID has been installed. It's not a cheap mod but improves temperature stability greatly.

 

Thank you so much for your help I just hope I'm not jumping to high the most complicated machine I've owned is a tassimo. Thanks again

 

From what I read, issue is that the new (2015 on) version uses poor internals, so looks good on the outside, but no 3-way valve, less serviceability, more plastic parts instead of metal. Best avoided.