Unfortunately, I purchased this machine before I was educated about sewing machines and their pieces/parts. This one is a brother cs6000i and I swore by this machine and all it could do for a very cheap price. I used it for 4 years and loved it everyday....until it locked up. Repairman says the price of the parts to fix is more than the machine itself. Sooooo....off to do some test driving today! You can be sure that I will give that salesman a thorough list of questions....LOL.[/quote]
The new machines [think white plastic] that can be purchased for under a couple hundred dollars are designed to be replaced in a few years, not repaired.
I agree, a vintage machine like a classic Singer 15, 66, 99, 201, 301, 401 and a few others can be purchased for what you would pay for a new 'cheapie,' and will last much longer.