I have a Kingrinder k6 and Delonghi ec260, you can get both for about 200e so probably about 200$ aswell, and i makes perfectly good coffee, especialy for lattes. You just need an unpressurized basket abotu 20bucks and a small modification for the stema wand witha zip tie, but even with out it, the milk steaming is perfectly accaptable. My gf cant tell the difference between the coffe shope late and my latte (we did a blind test). So for 200$ you can have everything you need, for great latte drinks.
The Stilosa should go on sale soon for Black Friday and the EC260 is pretty decent for the price, from Delonghi. Just be prepared to return the Stilosa until you get a good one, I had 2 with failed boilers out of the box out of the 5 I've purchased (I leave em at friends places and feel bad about taking espresso away from them). They make the Stilosa out of EC260 parts as a Black Friday offering, same thing but QC is a bit lower but it's like 30 bucks cheaper so I don't mind. Best Buy sells em and does price match, so I can take it back there for a working one.
The Stilosa should go on sale soon for Black Friday and the EC260 is pretty decent for the price, from Delonghi. Just be prepared to return the Stilosa until you get a good one, I had 2 with failed boilers out of the box out of the 5 I've purchased (I leave em at friends places and feel bad about taking espresso away from them). They make the Stilosa out of EC260 parts as a Black Friday offering, same thing but QC is a bit lower but it's like 30 bucks cheaper so I don't mind. Best Buy sells em and does price match, so I can take it back there for a working one.
You’re confused because you’re over thinking the machine. As someone said earlier, a $200 Stilista will make great espresso. Spend more on a grinder. Get a Mahlikohng x64ws or Eureka Atom 65w and look at $1000 machines like a Lelit Victoria or Profetec Goor Randall Silvia.
I would go with an entry level machine like the DeLonghi ECP series or the Stilosa. Then I'd get some of the most useful accessories for it (an unpressurized basket, a good tamp, a bottomless portafilter, a scale with a timer that fits on the machine, a dosing ring, a WDT, or a blind shaker, a puck screen, etc). Let's say 120 for the machine and 120 for the accessories. Perfect for your use case. I know cause I went the same route; Instant, Dolce Gusto and French press, Drip, Pourover, Senseo, Mokka, French press, ...
Espresso at home really goes one of two ways, a super automatic machine you dump beans into and it does the rest, or a new hobby you invest hours and effort into but pays off in the end if you're really into it.
You can make a great latte on a secondhand DeLonghi Stilosa you pick up on Marketplace for $50 if you buy a good espresso grinder and good beans to ensure you're starting with a worthwhile product. You really need to put in the energy to learn the machine, make some minor modifications, and do some fiddling with how you time things to get the best results.
The Nespresso suggestion isn't the worst if you aren't interested in a new hobby or an expensive super automatic.
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