I have had this machine and LOVE it. It is a great workhorse. It does great for piecing and is really nice for FMQ since it has a larger throat. I bought mine from Amazon for $600 with free shipping and no tax. Amazon is an authorized dealler so the warranty is good. I would suggest that you go and test drive this machine ad others to see if you like the way it handles! Also it is easier and cheaper to fix snce there is not computer to mess with. ( Just a note- FMQ is still hard on the arms even with a larger throat on this machine.)