I have a 26 year old Bernina 910, it cost around $700.00 new. That was a huge amount of money for me then, but I have never spent a dime on repairs in 26 years. I tell her how much I love her every time I sit down to sew! I am just now considering a new machine (maybe a 750QE), but I will never get rid of the 910. The 910 does have the heel tap needle down feature but it isn't quite the same as the new needle down. The cost of the new Berninas is unbelievable, and it has caused me to try others (Viking 875, Janome 7700, Pfaff 4.0) unfortunately none of them felt right to me. I am excited about the 7 series machines and I will also try out the new Pfaff Creative Performance.