I bought my Bernina 440QE new about 7 or 8 years ago. It is the second machine in my life that I bought new. I love it and it is my "go to" machine. I rely on the needle down function, the needle up/down with a tap on the foot pedal. The walking foot is great quality (I was burning through generic walking feet on my White machine). At first I didn't like the BSR since I was pretty good at free motion without using it. But, now that I've adjusted to it I would not consider not using it for free motion. The needle threader works flawlessly. Nothing has gone wrong with my machine and I have never had it serviced (GASP!). I just clean the bobbin area well with each bobbin change and clean the feed dog area nearly as frequently.
I also have a computerized 1630 which I bought used. Although it is a great machine I prefer some of the modern conveniences with the 440QE. And, I have a mechanical 730 that is great, but again, I am really liking the modern features of the 440QE and use that for most of my sewing.
I would not consider getting rid of any of my Bernina's!
PS: I bought the mechanical 830 for my daughter who never cared for sewing on my White machine. She loves it and uses it for home dec projects all of the time. It is easy for her to use and is trouble free.
Please let us know what you end up buying! I don't think you can go wrong with any of the older Bernina models.