Contrary to what alot of people say; Vikings are made and manfactured in Sweeden. Some say they are done in China but if you check the Viking website at the bottom of the comparison for the last 5 or 6 top of the line machines it says they are from Sweeden. You can rarely find anything that has been 100% made in one certain country any more so as long as the company stands by their product I wouldn't worry about that as much as where I got it from. What most do agree on is that LQS customer service is high on the priority list when searching for a new machine. There is one store here that sells a machine that I don't own and have nothing against except that I would never want to deal with the store on an on going basis. I go when I need something that I can't find elsewhere. The employees, including owner is rude and over prices a lot of things. Get a feel for the store, try out the machines to see which one fits, what classes are offered and what you'll need to do if you have a problem. Those things are very important. Not sure where you are in NC but Bella Fabrics is right by the James River Bridge and they are fantastic to deal with. They sell Viking and have great classes and clubs.
Notice I didn't slam the store that I try not to go to. I figure people can make up their own minds and then when I hear the many comments I can chuckle because I agree and they figured it out on thier own.