I was in a class a couple of weeks ago with a lady who was sewing on a Bernina that I think she said was 40 years old. A basic machine, but she had taken good care of it and it ran like a dream. My sister sews on a 31 year old Kenmore machine that she got for college graduation, and it also runs perfectly. I'm not sure the brand is as important as the care the machine has received. A good machine of any brand will run for years and years if it's serviced regularly and cleaned frequently.