Well, I'm going to weigh in on getting a real nice vintage sewing machine. You can get one very inexpensively in most any city if you are patient. There are so many out there and many run just fine but may need a little cleaning. If you search this site you can find a massive amount of information on cleaning and fixing up a vintage machine. We have a whole section of QB dedicated to vintage machines. Browse that before you spend good money on a new plastic machine which will not last more than about 5 years with out breaking.