heya millstream mom, I know exactly what you mean! I went into a local Beautiful) patchwork shop the other day. The assistant asked what machine I was using & I said A Pfaff hobby1132. 'Oh' is all she said!! I felt so embarrassed! When I landed in Perth 4 mths ago my pfaff was in a container, so I bought a 2nd hand one for $40. Its a bit tempermental, but did the jobs I needed. Its a k-mart 'homemaker'. Then at a local auction, I bought 2 Singer machines for $5 each, had one (singer 507) serviced for $140 & its great to use, I totally love it. Last week I bought 3 sergers for $120. A singer,($108 for service & blades), & a bernina & a globe (?). The last 2 dont have power leads so they're just sitting in a box!! Im so happy with my auction finds!! If your machine works & is comfortable to use, be happy!!