I would just get a simple one. at least to begin with. just something for 100 or maybe 200. something real cheep. I had a singer for years that I would pull out and use occasionally. now that I am getting more into sewing I got a Janome sewist 521. It has about 20 or so stitches i think and a drop in bobbin and it does reverse and forward. it isn't self threading or self cutting. I can adjust top tension but not sure about the bottom like on my old singer. I like it because there are a few decorative stitches but most the time I do straight stitch. I am new to quilting and am working on FMQ but for now when I quilt my couple I use this one decorative stitch and use the SID method of sewing. Like Prism66 said, I would look at used older models for a sewing machine. this way you can get one for a reasonable amount and play around with it and see after a couple of months what you really need and don't want in the machine. but that is just me. hope this helps