I have a friend who bought a Brother sewing machine at WalMart and likes it for a back-up machine. Don't know about the Singer. You might want to consider the size of the throat area if you will be quilting on it. I have done a number of Queen size quilts on a machine that has an 8 inch throat and would not want to work with one smaller than that. Suggest you look on Craigslist or something similar for a good used machine. I use Bernina and Baby Lock, have friends who have Janome and are very happy. Shop and try out before you buy.