Nothing sews like a machine with all metal parts! The cost to maintain them is the bottle of oil and a brush to clean out the lint. If I could only have one machine .... it would be my vintage one.... no annual tune-ups , and has never ever let me down.... unlike my new computerized machine that ... I never get to pick the time when it will have an issue ...not that it happens often but it when it does its never a good time.
If you ever get a chance to purchase one in good running condition .... buy it .... with the new machines .. you always need a back -up.