Just one more point. Several Bernina dealers told me (did a lot of shopping over the phone before i decided on a machine) that all Berninas have the same motor. It's just the more expensive machines offer more bells and whistles I guess you could say.
Also, on the Singers, there are certain model numbers made just for Walmart and then maybe a different model number made just for JoAnn. I don't think they are all available at a Singer dealer. Therefore, I'm not sure the quality is what it should be on all of them either.