I lucked out and got an older Brother machine with just some basic stitches at the swap exchange at our town's incinerator/dump. I was looking for a machine for my daughter, someone was carrying the machine in it's original box, I asked if it worked - he said yes, his wife just doesn't sew any more. I took it home, it sews great, in fact I think it does a better closer zig -zag stitch than my Janome, however it never made it to my daughter, as I use it for a back-up machine when my machine needs to go in for a checkup. My girl friend brought me a Sears Kenmore machine, but it does have something wrong with it; but she says she has a Janome that she picked up recently. I'm so glad I have a friend like her. Who knows, maybe I'll actually give my daughter a sewing machine for her to keep.