Originally Posted by
NJ Quilter
Here's my suggestion...made many times before but I think it bears repeating. Make yourself a spreadsheet or list of what your 'must haves' and 'wants' are. Go for the gusto on this list. Don't think about budget. THEN, once you have your list of 'needs vs wants' are, consider your budget. Figure out what options fit in your budget. THEN, go test drive the machines in your budget at various dealers. See how you feel about the dealer's in general and ask to speak to the resident repair person...unless you already have one you deal with.
It's a tough journey...take your time if you can. Or, look at some other vintage Singers if you're not looking for deco stitches. Then again, some of them can be jems as well.
Have take some scrap fabric with you to test sew on and go test drive all the machines you can and Enjoy it! Have fun with it! You will be surprised at how same priced machines but different brands can feel SO different. Me, I'm a Janome fan. but thats just me....we all have our own preferences.