I bought a new machine when my over 35 yr. old one couldn't be repaired. The new one is a Brother XR7700, not expensive at all but it serves the purpose and I mainly hand quilt. A friend who no longer sews is sending me her old Kenmore for a back up work horse. Between the two I'll have a machine with the capacity of more throat space should I wish or have to switch to machine quilting and a light weight one with a few gadgets and some fancy stitch capabilities. By no means are any of the high end machines necessary to have a great time creating your own masterpieces.
Who says you have to own a Mercades in order to drive!
Happy quilting,
Andie :roll: