I bought my Pfaff about 15 years ago. Not only did I spend a lot of time testing all the machines, I got a free class on using it. Although I considered myself a pretty accomplished sewer, I attended the class (it was free!). It was one of the smartest things I ever did. I still pull out my notes from that class and a big part of the class was care and cleaning. Knock on wood, but that machine has never been in for repair and still looks brand new.