What a joke...!! I wouldn't pay it either....and being an up front & straight forward type of aussie gal, I would have no hesitation in telling him exactly what I thought of his offer.
Is there such a thing on the Net as a database for sewing machine manuals ? If not, maybe someone would like to start a page on the board here where people could upload any manuals that they might have that are not in the database. Then they could be available to everyone. Just a thought. Good luck on your hunt for the elusive manual.