Hi, I've had this machine since July 2008 and so far I love it. As a beginner, it seems to be doing the work but then again I've only been doing piecing for quilt tops. I've tried the embroidery and it works great. I have had no problems since buying it at Walmart. Brothers customer service is also helpful and they resond to questions fairly quickly.
Also, what I thought about doing, was buying it, testing it at home for like a week and if I didn't get the hang of it, return it. In the end, I kept it and I'm glad I did! Hope this helps you.