I have two brothers. My first I bought 15 years ago from walmart for 150. The second this past january for 200 only because I wanted more stitches. There is nothing wrong with brother machines I was on a budget and it still runs as good as the day I bought it. Just a few trouble shooting questions....what thread were you using? I found brothers are very picky about thread....you have to use the same in the bobbin as the top and they seem to have less problems when you match the thread to the material. Use cotton with cotton and so on. I would also change your needle sometimes they dont look bent but are. Last clean your feed dogs, remove the plate and make sure they move. Good luck on your current search my next purchase is a HQ sweet sixteen sit down machine. I understnd wanting a bigger throat it makes all the difference but really for piecing I haven't seen where the price of the machine really matters. If I had your budget I would look at Bernina. Have a fabulous day!!