I just got a new machine for Christmas. It's a Kenmore:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ewing+Machines
I think it has a lot of features for a decent price.
You can drop the feed dogs on it. It has needle up or down stop position. It has speed control, which I'm loving since I'm a newb. You can adjust the speed to where it won't go faster than you're comfortable with, even if you put the pedal to the floor. It has a whole bunch of stitches. Granted, I've only had it a day but so far I think it'll be a good machine. It also has some really good reviews you can read on that link up there.
Oh yeah, and the drop in bobbin is so much easier than how my old machine loaded the bobbin. And the little door is clear so you can see how much bobbin thread you have left, while you're sewing.