I purchased a Singer 290C sewing machine off this site, sold new in the 1980's. They packed it well; no damage in shipment and it came exactly when they said it would. The machine was "as is". The motor ran and the needle went up and down, but hadn't been tested on fabric. I was so excited about sewing with the machine. I sat down with my fabric scraps, threaded the machine, went to lower the presser foot.......it was frozen. My DH who is a genius with machines took it all apart; cleaned and oiled and adjusted until he was satisfied. He put it all back together and Voila! It sews like a dream. I was also able to find the owner's manual on line at Singer.com. Moral of the story.....if you don't have someone who can fine tune the machine for you, pass on it. Personally, I'd buy from them again knowing that my DH can make it sew.