I love my bernina, I paid abt $1,000 for it 10 or 12 years ago, when I wanted to get serious about sewing, It was a big splurge gift to myself. It's workhorse. Keep it clean (I'm not very good at getting all the dust bunny"s out), so I try to take it to the dealer a couple of times a year for a good going over. A couple of hundred dollars sounds like a good deal. Yes accessories are expensive, but I find them to be well worth it, especially my walking foot.