Before you buy the best advice I found here on this board is to test drive. This is an investment, so to speak, not just a purchase. Find a dealer you can trust. This is one of the few purchases I feel should be done through a dealer. They are mechanical devices that require maintenance from time to time plus the computerized ones will require firmware updates. Search the internet to read reviews of machines. Sometimes there are red flags that are hard to ignore. Even if you have to take out a loan, I know this sounds silly for a sewing machine, then do so, in the long run it will be worth it. We all have our opinions. After doing tons of research and finding a fantastic dealer in our area we are a Bernina family here. Good luck in your purchase and have fun with this.