I wouldn't buy a machine if I didn't intend to use it. I just got my featherweight a couple of weeks ago, and am piecing my first top with it right now! This cute little baby of mine sews a tighter, straighter stitch than my new computerized machine.
I bought a featherweight because I wanted a sturdy but small machine to keep upstairs (my sewing space is in the basement) so that I could do some piece work up here. I hated abandoning my husband every evening to go downstairs all alone. I love my quilting, but love my husband more and wanted to at least share some space with him. This way, we can chat and be together, even if I'm sewing and he's watching TV. I still do all of my cutting and most of my quilting downstairs, but I do the piece work up here. It's also nice because I can sit and sew while the kids are playing or having lunch which I couldn't do before because the baby is still learning his way around solid foods and might choke.