I don't have a Horizon, I haven't even sewn on it for fear of the "coup de foudre" (clap of thunder in French)-love at first site. But I read the yahoo group digest on it daily and all the QB and patternreview.com threads I find. It seems to me that Janome not only acknowledges, but rectifies, quality control issues. Several owners had their machines entirely replaced at no cost when they had recurring problems. They have a fix for the foot issue and the single hole plate. The newest machines just come with the fixes, but there are still many earlier-run machines on dealer shelves. A scenario I have often read, is that the local dealer kept hemming and hawing about a problem, then the owner got fed up and contacted Janome directly and got a prompt solution. Also some dealers are keeping themselves more informed and saavy than others. I wouldn't hesitate to buy at the right price, knowing the company is behind the machine, but I just got a used Bernina 440 at a great price (which is amazing and very quiet, even at high speed, btw) and have enough <ahem> machines for the moment. My dealer is still at full price on the Horizon, which is better for my bank account right now anyway.