Looked at a NS Aurelia Plus for sale
A deli about 45 minutes from my hometown is going out of business and selling their NS Aurelia Plus and NS grinder. They were asking 2k which I thought was a great price. Even if I just cleaned them up and sold them off, I can make some extra to put towards a different machine or use as a trade in.
Previous knowledge that I had before being in front of the machine. It is an '05 that was purchased in '06. They stated it was serviced regulary by an service company. Hooked up to a 3m water filtration system. The touch pads for each group had 2 and 3 buttons that didn't work on them.
So I get there and speak to the owner. Owner is a mid 30's Italian guy *acutual Italian, not Jersey Shore* that seemed pretty knowledgable about espresso and machines. He was very Italian style of espresso, which was really cool to listen to his view and interpetation of espresso. Hearing how he spoke about the machine was pretty reassuring, and he talked a good talk about keeping the machine in a good working order. The machine held good pressure during extraction and produced pleasant shots.
What concerns me and raised a feeling in my gut was the outer appearance of the machine. It was very dirty/stained with espresso, that wasn't just from a couple days of use. Also the screens on the group head looked like they hadn't been scrubbed or removed in quite some time, and definitely needed to be replaced. So the more I thought about it, the more I get wary about it. If you were the type of person to keep up on your espresso machine so that it continued to operate in a proper manner, wouldn't you be equally concerned about the outer appearance of the machine. Wouldn't you wipe down regularly the back wall, drip tray, and all around the group heads. If you loved your machine, wouldn't you keep your baby clean? Also the look of the screens and the shape they were in concerned me.
Was this guy just a good salesman? Even if it needed some work, should I or how much should I try to hassle them on the price because of the things that concern me. The price of 2k also included the NS grinder which I'm not really a fan of, but this was more of a flip than anything to put towards the purchase of other equipment.
Has the price of used NS Aurelia's dipped that much from when they were new? Example of an used machine on craigslist in Chicago. Fairly new seller and not really an auction I would bid on, but using it for price reference.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jason Raz on
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Things that are broken/wrong:
Digital Display above the groups heads not working.
2 right volume buttons on group 1
3 right volume buttons on group 2
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Permalink Reply by Brady on
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If failing to repair 3 malfunctioning electrical components is what this guy considers "keeping the machine in good working order" I'd be concerned about the condition of the machine. Replacing those components is an expensive proposition, will work up a quickie quote later tonight.
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Some quick parts prices, from their public price list:
04900706 Circuit Panel (group buttons) $154.20
04900712 Blue Card Display Aurelia $290.10
These are not quite as pricey as I was expecting, looking at around $600 list for parts. Assume less than an hour to replace. That is a serious consideration, and gives me pause. If it is a board instead things look a little worse.
At 5 years old, I'd expect that it needs a full PM before going back into service. When I do this, I rebuild steam wands and joints, replace group ring o-ring and gasket, and replace group screens, screws, and baskets. I often find that assorted other o-rings need replaced, including the ones on the preinfusion chamber plate (on top of the group) and on the sightglass. I did one of these last month and that invoice was $300 (take into account that my rate are very competitive, so YMMV).
If it hadn't already been done, I'd probably also replace the Sirai pressurestat... so add another $100 plus 15 minutes. If it hasn't already died, it is on borrowed time.
Overpressure/Safety Valve will probably be leaking a bit. 98013001 is the old part, they recently went to a new style that requires a kit (different part number). I think that kit is about $60. If the A/V Valve is hissing, 01000023 is $20.
Bottom line... that Aurelia will need $1200ish worth of work to get it back to "good working order".
The grinders are solid. Clean it up, throw in a new pair of burrs, and replace the doser arm spring and you're good to go, probably for less than $150 worth of work.
Hope that helps.
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Dude, thanks for the great breakdown. I had emailed them yesterday about my concerns and that I wasn't interested at the original price. She dropped the price down to $1500 in her reply. They did state the burrs were replaced 3 months ago when I visited.
So $2700 for a tuned-up Aurellia Plus and grinder with newer burrs. Don't think I'm able to pass it up. Even if *most likely* I won't be using it in my business, I could make some on a flip and put it towards my GB/5 MP purchase. Just messaged them saying I'll take machine if they include the 3M Water Filtration unit. Even if they say no to the filtration unit for that price, I'll still take it machine/grinder.
Thank you again for the great reply. Will post up some pics and details of the carnage.
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You ought to be covered, and there's probably even room to make a little money.
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Permalink Reply by Scott on
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3M uses proprietary cartridges. Those are going to cost you more money on the upkeep than going with a system that uses industry standard components.
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So we took a look at the machine and it needs some work. There was a good amounut of loose scale in the boiler and a few small leaks. Still feel really good about the purchase. Will post up a detailed list when I get the email. Got to check out a Strada EP while I was there and wanted to walk out with a Mazzer Robur, but they knew to keep a watchful eye when I walked near it.
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