I have 4 Berninas. Two sewing machines, a serger and a stand alone embroidery machine. My first Bernina is a 1260 that I was able to purchase for wholesale in the early 1990s because I worked for a dealer at the time. It was one down from the top of the line since. It probably has the equivilant of 200,000 miles on it. Last year I bought another newer model Bernina. It is a much less expensive machine than my first one and actually has more built in stitches. The main reason I got it was for the lighter weight. It has a lot more plastic which makes it at least 10lbs. lighter than my older model. One reason it was less expensive is that it did not come standard with the knee lift or the better foot pedal. I ended up spending another $300 to have both of them added. At this point I have about $1100 in it plus a few feet. I had spent $1800 plus probably another $500 in special feet for my 1260 plus had to replace the computer in it several years ago for about $250. While it seems like a lot of money for what you get now adays on the machines the price really is not higher in today's dollars.