I have had the Janome 6500 since May of 2004 and have had some issues with it. The worst was the bobbin case which would rattle, growl and jump out of place. After my dealer insisting that it was operator error, I finally found out that there is an oil wick under the bobbin case (didn't tell you in the manual either) that on some machines dries out and then causes problems. I found out about it from the Janome 6500/6600 Forum from another quilter. I now keep that spot oiled and my bobbin case problems have vanished. My second problem was that my feed dogs would not raise or lower completely making the machine not stitch properly. After several trips to my dealer, another dealer found that there was a missing screw inside the machine, added it and no more difficulties. I also find that my machine likes to veer off the stitching line at intersections. I now know to hold it there to compensate for my machine's wandering tendencies. I've had some paint wear or slightly chip off the machine bed. The provided buttonhole foot will not work with large or thick buttons but my ancient old Singer Buttonholer will work beautifully on my Janome 6500. I am now basically satisfied with my machine as we now understand each other. I do like all of the stitch patterns, (wish the alphabet was larger) and do appreciate the larger harp. There are no perfect machines out there but if you know about these potential problems, you should have a good relationship. The other plus is that the price of this machine has come down a lot since the Horizon came out. Happy machine buying.