I have two Berninas: a 130 and a 153. Both are "primitive" by today's standards, both cost a fortune (at the time), and both continue to serve me well no matter what I throw at them. Bernina feet ARE expensive but, like these older machines, they last forever and can migrate from one machine to another and they extend the range of your capabilities immensely. I've chosen to keep my original machines and "upgrade" their capabilities by purchasing a new foot or two every year when I want to try some new technique etc. The only exception was that when I wanted to get into needle felting, I purchased a Babyloc Embellisher for not much more than the Bernina felting attachment would have cost. I'm not really tempted (yet) by the newer, fancier machines even though a larger throat and having more stitches would be nice.
One other thing to remember -- when you have the "right" machine, it will almost become an extension of your body -- you are so familiar with it and so confident that it will do what it should do, that the project becomes the focus and you almost forget the machine is there doing the "work"!