haha! This reply made me chuckle with the realism. Something tells me you have gone down the used route!I'm pretty sure older Brothers still have pretty good parts availability.
And they can be had at very attractive prices. Just know, that is because they have been "fully depreciated" (if you know what I mean).
Are you good at fixing stuff? You will need to be if you go the used route. Do you mind getting dirty? Old CNC's look clean on the outside. They are anything but clean when wrenching time comes!
And, almost anything is better than a tormach. A haas mini-mill would be a good starter. But, they hold their value "TOO" well.
Yes, I am good at fixing things. Replacing physical parts shouldnt be an issue for me. As I said in another reply, its the electronics that I am ignorant on.
I mean, at the end of the day, what better way to get to know a machine than ripping it down to nothing??? Get what I mean
But, I also dont want to choose the machine that when I rip apart, the parts are hard to source or extremely pricey. As you said, HAAS machines hold their value "TOO" well. And I appreciate the quotes on that because TOO well can be very subjective...depending on the intent/business of the machine.