I went to a antique market and found a FW for $100. It was in rough shape, but I'd seen how they can be stripped and repainted so I gave it a shot. See the results so far on my other thread 'Refinishing my Featherweight". I've enjoyed the process, except for the stripping. Looking forward to finishing it and making my grandson his first quilt. I will also give him the sewing machine along with the quilt so when he is old enough he may want to learn to sew also.
Basically, I think you can find them cheaper...just depends on how much you want to spend and how much and what type of sewing you plan to do with it.