I'd like to get your opinions and experiences with acquiring machines. I just took over a shop earlier this year that has conventional mills and lathes. I'm making room to bring in my first CNC machine and I'm trying to decide if I should buy something used for around $15k or just lease-to-own a new one. I found a 1995 Okuma LB25 3.5" lathe nearby in my price range and happen to know the guy that's maintained it; he says it's a good machine but service parts are hard to find and expensive. His opinion is to find CNC work first, sub it out until I get a good idea of what kind of machine I need for it, and then acquire it. My other concern with an older/cheaper machine is that it's just not going to let me be competitive with pricing... no live tooling, bar feeder, etc. What do you think?
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