I've repaired two of those Elu/DW (701). They're very well made and accurate, especially the earlier ones, and you can get the parts easily and cheaply.
Three tips: (1) the sprung pin for locking the shaft for blade changes is weak, shears easily and is at the wrong end of the shaft, BUT you can simply loosen the blade bolt with the teeth against a block of wood - arguably easier anyway. (2) the big lever you grab for moving the blade guard has a truly awful mechanical arrangement inside. As long as you keep it clean, it's fine, but they gum up for a pastime and can strip teeth. (3) the blade cover IIRC has just three self-tapping screws holding it on. It's a white metal casting, but screwed into plastic. The threads strip in the plastic leaving the cover insecure (a common problem with many mitre saws, I'd guess). You can glue up the holes and re-cut the threads (carefully), or replace the plastic (expensive), but look for chewed up screw heads on the cover - if you see them walk away, because it's a time consuming and awkward problem to fix. You might fit a through-bolt/nyloc nut on one of them, (can't remember if I did), but the other two have stuff behind to prevent this.
The main (blade) shaft bearings are relatively easy to change. I've done the end (small) one - it just slides off, but you might need a press for the big (main) one - either way, a wobbly blade isn't necessarily the end of the saw - change the bearings and the accuracy is back.
There is an extractor kit, but I couldn't get the one I encountered to work effectively.
Anyway, if you go for a DW 701-series, check both the handle lever, the locking pin, and the blade cover screw heads on anything you're tempted by, and if you do buy, immediately get a new blade bolt (and probably a spare, too if it's ever going to be shared). On sites, people forget it's a left-hand thread and the bolt head gets rounded (and the thread itself over-torqued) by numpties trying to undo it the wrong way.
The blade size is more expensive than those either side of it, I think because the saw is common for tradesmen and resellers take advantage. I've fitted two with Freud blades in the past. In both cases it transformed the saw.
I like them - they work very well and the two I've played with have been dead-on accurate. Despite the cautions above, I'd buy a cared-for one secondhand over a new anything in that price range. You can bring it back to top performance cheaply, and then they're a great tool. I've not used the 777 (essentially the reworked version), but generally the old Elu-designed stuff was really well made, so I'd stick with that.
E.
PS: My own mitre saw is Elektra Beckum KGS300, taken over by Metabo and updated as the KGS331 (a very similar one sold by Axminster until recently, too). Metabo stopped making mine a few years back. The old EBs don't have a blade brake - this is a nuisance. The later Metabos (331) do - electronic - and it's both a safety feature and a time saver when doing repeat work.
It's quiet because it has an induction motor (most are brushed and very noisy), and a 250mm blade, but it's direct drive and the motor gets in the way of deep cuts, so the blade size isn't the advantge you'd think it should be. It can be very accurate, but it's not as robust as the DW 701, by a long way.
The new-design Metabos seem to be liked, but I've not used them.
