I want to get my 24 yr old DD an inexpensive machine so that she can do basics and begin to learn how to do things, hoping she will like it and might want to do more. She is not a sewer and has no experience on a machine. She lives far from me so I will not be able to show her or help her other than through the internet and Skype.

Any comments about this machine for a beginner? It's from Costco.

My SIL has it, she loves it.

The only concern I can see is future repairs/maintenance if she doesn't have a repairman close.

I'm sure there is a repairman somewhere close to her!!! Any Brother repairman can work on it even if it wasn't purchased from him.

When you buy like that you have to send the machine in to be worked on or you pay a lot to have a repairman at a shop do it. A machine through a dealer is always better. You always have at least a year on any machine and then a 5 year warrenty on most of the basic machines. Personaly I would never buy from CostCos, Wal Mart, K Mart just because of that. YOu pay a few hundred for a machine and have a problem and just one service call will be around $100 and you could of spent a little more and had that covered through a dealer. Just Food for thought. Good luck whatever you decide. And the better the machine the easier to use the more she may like sewing.

I bought one of the Brother machines from Costco about a year ago...pretty basic model, light weight. I really had no quilting experience and very little sewing experience. I love the machine. It has been used daily for a year with no issues. I am thinking of upgrading now that I'm addicted to quilting. Would like a bigger throat and a machine that is a little heavier weight. Won't be getting rid of this one though...it is perfect to bring to classes and that sort of thing.

Thanks for the info!! She lives in Hawaii so it would be easy for her to get one from Costco.