I purchased a Janome off Craig's list, and then bought an extended warranty at my local Janome Dealer. It was just over $100 for three years. The total price covered all routine maintenance, any NON-routine maintenance and parts, in-store instruction on my machine, and 10% of anything in the store, including stabilizers, threads, lots of notions, and some fabric. That was a year ago, and I've more than used that warranty, mainly for the classes and sewing supplies, plus a routine cleaning. I now am proficient at both the sewing variations, feet, techniques, etc., and I can do the built in embroidery. My next project will use purchased embroidery patterns to do embroidery, and that will be another series of group classes, as there are a number of us at about the same point, and when working together we help each other as well as learn from our excellent instructor -- and it's social and fun!
Just a thought for those who buy machines from places like eBay. Check with your local deal and see if you can get an extended warranty. I don't have to worry about repair bills for another 2 years (and can extend the warranty if I like).