Yep, worth the money. Is the software included? If so a great deal. Yes, it is an older model. You will have to have the card, card box and some form of software to go with it to do any designs off the internet. The newer models have floppy or 'stick' ports now. No, you can't update them. The nice thing about Brother is that they didn't change the design of their design cards that fit in the machines (or hadn't the last time I checked) so you can still get the Brother cards for these machines. If you want an embroidery machine these were a great machine and went for around 3 thousand when they came out. If I remember correct this machine has a 5x7 embroidery frame, which is the largest for that machine so you would have to watch the size of your designs. The designs keep getting bigger and bigger.
Good luck!