# Having trouble finding a used Silvia



## OrignalAlpha (Aug 24, 2020)

So I've been looking for quite a while now on ebay etc but have had no luck finding a second hand Silvia that's worth the price. Pre ordered the niche zero around a month ago and I thought i would have found a machine by now but no luck 

Almost tempted to just bite the bullet and buy the new v6 model, I think its around £500, but I thought i would ask you guys and see if anyone has seen one around. Although I don't really plan to resell, if I do choose to buy new they hold their value pretty well, don't they? Just asking as I would prefer to save money and find one second hand, I feel like I'll end up looking for another few months and I don't want to do that.

Thanks!


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

I really don't think they are great value new , second hand you don't see many in here as the new apes I suspect have dropped off in the last few years.

Don't order form coffee Italia or cafe Italia to save a few quid

Having had a Silvia , you soon get bored of temp surfing quick, I'd say the same thing about a new gaggia tbh


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## OrignalAlpha (Aug 24, 2020)

I've found a used one, I think I might be able to get it for around £200-£250, just not sure what version it is or whether its worth the price? I've attached an image of it.


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## espressoSquirrel (Jul 24, 2020)

That's a v2 probably 13-15 years old. It looks in pretty good state, but look out for signs of rust and hopefully it hasn't got any limescale

the only meaningful difference between this and a new one is the steam wand that is easily replaceable. And that this one has a element attached to the boiler so if ever you need to replace the element you need to replace the boiler too.

this has a proper on off switch though which in many ways is better than the momentary switch on the new ones


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## phario (May 7, 2017)

espressoSquirrel said:


> That's a v2 probably 13-15 years old. It looks in pretty good state, but look out for signs of rust and hopefully it hasn't got any limescale
> 
> the only meaningful difference between this and a new one is the steam wand that is easily replaceable. And that this one has a element attached to the boiler so if ever you need to replace the element you need to replace the boiler too.
> 
> this has a proper on off switch though which in many ways is better than the momentary switch on the new ones


 I know that people may disagree, but when I was doing my research on the Silvia, I concluded that the element replacement is not something to take lightly. There are a significant number of cases of people burning out their elements (indeed the machine I purchased was a refurbished model that had a boiler replacement), and the cost to do so is potentially significant (£132 here and £116 here). If you're careful it won't happen, but IMO it's the most significant consideration when buying a used Silvia.

Other things to check for:



Rust under the drip tray


Grouphead cover 'chrome' peeling (£20 replacement)




OrignalAlpha said:


> but have had no luck finding a second hand Silvia that's worth the price.


 Basically, the used market for Silvias is not as good as it once was. Again, you can check this pretty easily: search through the Sold forum. I think I measured it as fewer than half-a-dozen sold in a year's time. If you wait a few months, you might find one on the sales forum. Or not.



OrignalAlpha said:


> Almost tempted to just bite the bullet and buy the new v6 model, I think its around £500,


 Most people will tell you not to buy a new Silvia. Get a PID Gaggia for £250 with v2 steam wand and it will outperform the stock Silvia. If you're going to buy a new Silvia, you might as well spend a bit more and get a Lelit MaraX for instance (most people would not describe an extra £400 as 'a bit more') but it is considered 'a bit more'.

Assuming you don't need to replace the boiler, £200 is a good price for the set you indicated.


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## OrignalAlpha (Aug 24, 2020)

phario said:


> Assuming you don't need to replace the boiler, £200 is a good price for the set you indicated.


 Unfortunately it sold very quickly, just a few minutes after I posted my message, for £140.



phario said:


> Most people will tell you not to buy a new Silvia. Get a PID Gaggia for £250 with v2 steam wand and it will outperform the stock Silvia. If you're going to buy a new Silvia, you might as well spend a bit more and get a Lelit MaraX for instance (most people would not describe an extra £400 as 'a bit more') but it is considered 'a bit more'.


 I did buy the Gaggia Classic Pro 2019 but I ended up returning it as I'm trying to stay away from Gaggia's due to the health concern which revolves around aluminium. Most people have said its fine and some have said to stay away and stick with brass/stainless steel, but I would rather not take the risk especially with second hand machines where I may not be able to see the inside condition. Also I really only plan to buy once, I dont really plan on upgrading (other than potentially adding a PID), which was my reasoning behind buying new.



phario said:


> Most people will tell you not to buy a new Silvia. Get a PID Gaggia for £250 with v2 steam wand and it will outperform the stock Silvia. If you're going to buy a new Silvia, you might as well spend a bit more and get a Lelit MaraX for instance (most people would not describe an extra £400 as 'a bit more') but it is considered 'a bit more'.


 This is by far out of my price range! The most I'd be willing to spend on a new/used machine is around £500.

Also another one I missed out one, this one also lasted a few minutes and sold whilst I was in discussion with the seller, a very rare model apparently: 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rancilio-Silvia-V3-espresso-machine-RARE-RED-LEATHER-Auber-PID-needs-fixing/284019271187


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## phario (May 7, 2017)

OrignalAlpha said:


> Also another one I missed out one, this one also lasted a few minutes and sold whilst I was in discussion with the seller, a very rare model apparently:
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rancilio-Silvia-V3-espresso-machine-RARE-RED-LEATHER-Auber-PID-needs-fixing/284019271187


 Wow. Unique. Not sure I like it, but it's pretty cool.

I wouldn't be surprised if that one got way over asking by private message and the seller ended the sale prematurely.

You probably know that in theory you can get yourself a stainless steel boiler from the Gaggia Classic 2015-2018 models (the ones with the push buttons), which are arguably not as in demand.

That said, if you can get a good condition Silvia in the £200-250 range, I think it's a perfectly good purchase (all the caveats of the Silvia remain with its temperature issues). Put it another way, you can probably buy a good condition Silvia for £200 and resell it for exactly that price in a year's time.


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

OrignalAlpha said:


> I really only plan to buy once, I dont really plan on upgrading (other than potentially adding a PID), which was my reasoning behind buying new.


 My experience might be relevant for you: I had a V1 Silvia for 20 years. I wanted a PID, but feared messing about with an old machine, so sold it and got a V6 with the intention of fitting a PID. When I had the new machine, I started looking at PIDs, and mainly found 3 options: 1) DIY - buying cheap components and trying to conjure something myself. Seems reasonably possible, but do I really want to mess about like that with my new £500 machine which is still under warranty? Option 2) MeCoffee - relies on one unresponsive person in Groningen. Some people have a great experience, others order and get nothing. Some have faulty devices and no response from the vendor. Not really an option for me. 3) An Auber - this is considered the easiest and most reliable option. But not only is it expensive, you have to pay shipping from the US (and probably taxes as well), so it's over £150 for the cheap model (brew temp control only), or even more if you want steam temp and shot timer as well. This would bring the cost of a new Silvia + Auber to over £650-700, which isn't that far from an HX machine (you can get a new Oscar ii for £640).

Personally, I sold the V6 after just a few months and got a Mara X.

The moral of the story for me is that the idea of PIDing a new Silvia was a mistake. It is just too expensive once you Auber it, and your money can do better. Here is what I would do if I were you, with different budgets:

Up to £300-350 - I would look for a used Silvia (ideally V3 and up, with an Auber PID already installed) or a similar Gaggia.
Up to £500 - I would look for a machine similar to Silvia that comes with a PID from the factory (such as Lelit Anna PID or similar (https://www.coffeefriend.co.uk/p/traditionl-espresso-coffee-machine-lelit-anna-tem/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnqH7BRDdARIsACTSAdsd9TaYgNchYPFEW1WK6Nmpub9h0otziwirwcbHyG5nMjMkfXAzUbYaAm8PEALw_wcB) 
Alternatively at the £500 mark - a used HX machine.

Over £500 - something even better than the above. 🙂

Also don't forget to budget for a grinder. No point in having a good machine if you don't have a proper grinder to go with it.


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## OrignalAlpha (Aug 24, 2020)

Doram said:


> Up to £500 - I would look for a machine similar to Silvia that comes with a PID from the factory (such as Lelit Anna PID or similar (https://www.coffeefriend.co.uk/p/traditionl-espresso-coffee-machine-lelit-anna-tem/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnqH7BRDdARIsACTSAdsd9TaYgNchYPFEW1WK6Nmpub9h0otziwirwcbHyG5nMjMkfXAzUbYaAm8PEALw_wcB)


 Yes, I was thinking of getting this, unfortunately I'm not too keen on the 57mm portafilter, just makes getting accessories that much more difficult. Also I believe the Silvia is more solidly built and has a much larger community. But for the price I think it's great the Lelit Anna offers a PID. It's something I'm still considering.



Doram said:


> Up to £300-350 - I would look for a used Silvia (ideally V3 and up, with an Auber PID already installed)


 I've kept my eye out for a while now but have had no luck finding a used Silvia that I fancied. On top of that they seem to be pretty rare nowadays, especially ones with a PID already installed, hence why I was considering buying new. I guess I will have to keep looking.


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## IDREAMOFCOFFEEBEFOREIWAKE (Nov 19, 2018)

Hi just seen this thread, is all pre 2015 gaggias aluminum boilers? or are they alu outside steel inside?


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

OrignalAlpha said:


> I've kept my eye out for a while now but have had no luck finding a used Silvia that I fancied. On top of that they seem to be pretty rare nowadays, especially ones with a PID already installed, hence why I was considering buying new. I guess I will have to keep looking.


 There is a 3 year old one on eBay you might want to look at. Seems like a V5: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rancilio-Silvia-E-Espresso-Coffee-Machine/353207109348?hash=item523cc8c6e4:g:FOcAAOSwmfFfZM3j


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

OrignalAlpha said:


> I've kept my eye out for a while now but have had no luck finding a used Silvia that I fancied.


 There is currently an Oscar down to £290 on the sales forum, if you are interested:

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/54547-nuova-simonelli-oscar-v1-%C2%A333000/?do=embed


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## Sean3716 (Sep 23, 2020)

OrignalAlpha said:


> So I've been looking for quite a while now on ebay etc but have had no luck finding a second hand Silvia that's worth the price. Pre ordered the niche zero around a month ago and I thought i would have found a machine by now but no luck
> 
> Almost tempted to just bite the bullet and buy the new v6 model, I think its around £500, but I thought i would ask you guys and see if anyone has seen one around. Although I don't really plan to resell, if I do choose to buy new they hold their value pretty well, don't they? Just asking as I would prefer to save money and find one second hand, I feel like I'll end up looking for another few months and I don't want to do that.
> 
> Thanks!


 Try face book, I picked up a minter this weekend £280 with Iberital Mc2, All like new, guy even took top off and made a video showing all working, some bargains to be had


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## njlhyde (Feb 17, 2020)

I have just taken delivery of a Mara X so will be selling my Rancilio Silvia V3 that I have had from new. Original box and all the instruction etc with no rust.

i don't know if you are interested.


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

OrignalAlpha said:


> So I've been looking for quite a while now on ebay etc but have had no luck finding a second hand Silvia that's worth the price.


 @OrignalAlpha Looks like what you were looking for.

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/54954-rancilio-silvia-v3-for-sale/?do=embed


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## pygathrix (Oct 6, 2020)

Mrboots2u said:


> I really don't think they are great value new , second hand you don't see many in here as the new apes I suspect have dropped off in the last few years.
> 
> Don't order form coffee Italia or cafe Italia to save a few quid
> 
> Having had a Silvia , you soon get bored of temp surfing quick, I'd say the same thing about a new gaggia tbh


 I was literally about to get the new V6 black limited edition from caffè Italia.
This thread has been super-useful, I'll certainly take a look at different options! ...but have you had bad experiences with caffè Italia before?
I also wanted to order the (beautiful!!) E&B Lab globe moka pot from them...


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

pygathrix said:


> I was literally about to get the new V6 black limited edition from caffè Italia.
> This thread has been super-useful, I'll certainly take a look at different options! ...but have you had bad experiences with caffè Italia before?
> I also wanted to order the (beautiful!!) E&B Lab globe moka pot from them...


 There are endless bad experiences with have not got any better .

me vent had one as i read the feedback and give my cash to somewhere else .

my opinion on the value of a new Silvia still holds , temp surfing is terrible for a machine of that price


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