I love my Bernina 220 Activa, it's not the 'top of the line', so it was affordable and all Bernina dealers do layaways. It has many features- I love the auto threader feature, but not so many features that you're overwhelmed by it all. It's a solid metal machine, and not over computerized. Buy the best and forget the rest. That's my motto. It's a great overall sewing machine- you won't be dissapointed. I've seen a picture of Bonnie Hunter while she was using this machine (or the next one up- the 240), it was hard to read the numbers in the picture.
Blessings,
MaryAnna