Joan, A lot of the newer machines are made with plastic parts. The old reliabels for having the majority of metal and durability are both
Singer and Bernina as far as I know. I still have my Bernina I purchased 30 years ago and it has been a work horse. My mother has her Singer still. Check out either of their sites. You can also check out www.sewingmachines.com and get an overview of machines and which will best fit your needs. Good luck, a good machine is a quilters next best friend. :D