First and formost clean and oil your machine. You can do this yourself just take your time and look it over. Can also find generic sewing machine care info on the internet. Check thrift stores for attachments that have the same style shank as yours. There are several types. Most common are a low shank, low shank square shaft, high shank, high shank square shaft, slant shank. There are others but not as common. Even if it doesn't say kenmore on the attachments they may work as most were made by only a handful of companies. Hang onto your machine it is a good work horse. New machines are not made of the same materials or quality. Most are made to be disposable and have a short life. Remember if you get into an electronic machine that you need to add that to the cost of repair as the cost goes up especially if it is on the computer board.Some repairs cost more then the machine- ask your local shop the cost of such a repair on the machine you lok at. Also the availability of a qualified repair person for the brand you choose. Many companies are refusing to deal with the little repair shop who doesn't specialize in their brand. If it is a nonelctronic machine you will have better success in finding someone to repair a manual machine. As far as a manual for the Kenmore. Go to the Yahoo group Vintage Sewing Mchine Collectors. Someone may have it. All the bells and whistles of a new machine are nice as long as they work