I've had a Brother CS8072 (cheap Walmart machine that has been ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!) for almost 7 years. It has just started skipping stitches when sewing from thin to thick to thin layers, along with a "spring" noise. A repairman (familiar with Brother machines) said it sounds like just a timing issue which is easily corrected in a "tune up" and that Brother machines newer than 5 yrs old are "just a piece of junk" due to a major change in construction 5 yrs ago. Of course, he wants my business....but to add credibility to what he said, my Brother Innovis QC1000 ($$) that I bought less than 2 yrs ago does not have as nice a stitch as the 8072.
So.....you may want to talk to a few repairmen & get their feedback before you decide!
Welcome to this site - I'm new, too! From Georgia.