Hey Gary I hope none of us are coming across as such, but we are not trying to dissuade you from buying any kind of machine, or try to suggest that you can only get good coffee from a $2,000+ machine. We encourage anyone starting their journey on the learning curve of espresso. However, I think that you should expect that any machine you will get in that price range will probably have the following: 1. A crema-enhancing or pressurised portafilter. These artificially create 'crema' by using springs and valves in the portafilter to create pressure, as opposed to firmly packed ground coffee. 2. A 'froth-enhancer' - these tend to assist you in creating very bubbly milk froth, as opposed to tight microfoam. 3. Almost all home machines without a 3 way solenoide (or whatever it is called) will require a resting period between shots to get rid of built up pressure in the filter. 4. Most single boiler/thermoblock machines without a heat exchanger will require a heat up time between extracting the shot and steaming the milk. That said, if you use fresh coffee, an appropriate grind (preferably immediately before pulling the shot) and patience, you can still produce a very good cup of coffee. I know I will be shot down for suggesting this, but have you considered [whispers] 'ebay'? I am sure others with much greater knowledge will provide more info. Sorry, I don't know any machines to recommend to specifically answer your questions. Cheers P
