Here's some tips from a friend who has conquered the goal of making great esspresso at home:
1. Don’t be intimated by what you read on the internet. Lots of great coffee sites like coffeegeek.com are full of information and lots of strong opinions. It’s a lifelong passion of coffee people: remember you are just starting out. In fact, I would ignore most of it for the first year.
2. Think about how you order your favorite beverage at a coffeehouse (yes including Starbucks): shots of espresso or lots of foamy milk (latte) or cappuccino (denser and less foam). That's what you want to be able to do at home.
3. If you are looking to spend more than $100 on an espresso machine try to find a local place that has a variety of machines you can actually try to pull a shot of espresso and make a latte. In fact, spend the money on a ticket and fly to Seattle, drive north a bit to Seattle Coffee Gear. (80 machines to try). Trying machines is key and every written review pales in comparison to a test drive.
4. With fresh beans and burr grinder  work on your espresso shot. Its just 4 concepts you need to perfect, and if you are lucky enough search youtube for films of the machine you use in action:
a. Dose
b. Grind
c. Tamp
d. Pour

5. Almost any machine under $150 (with practice) will allow you to produce a decent shot of espresso. If you pick one that is still not performing after two weeks of practice take it back.
6. If you have trouble with steaming (froth) milk it could be your machine. A good alternative is the battery powered frother.
7. Don’t be intimated by experts, blogs and friends.
8. If you are uncertain you like strong coffee but want to test the waters follow the age old cliché “When in Roman” in this case when in Europe.... purchase a Biletti Moka pot and pick some great ground espresso such as Bustello (sold at some grovery stores, now) and try start tasting with sugar and froth as desired. I doubt a kitchen in Italy and most of Europe is lacking one and although the shots are not as pretty or as ,’s a great way to enjoy the rich and powerful joy of espresso

My thanks go to Max for all this great info!