I taught quilting at a local sew & vac shop for a while around 2000. He sold the Riccar sewing machine. There were very sturdy & reliable. This is the machine I sold when someone was new to sewing & did not want to invest in the more expensive computerized machines. You ould the generic walking foot to the Riccar. Of course, this was 10 yrs. ago. I don't know how old the machine is that you are considering.