Originally Posted by lady.quilter
she knew that the Viking & Pfaff machines were always in the shop, 'every 3 to 4 months' she said....
Not so. In 30 years, my Vikiing has had issues only once. Yes, it was cleaned on a regular basis, and in general, taken care of. But problems - only one time, and that was age-related. I cannot speak about the other machines, but I know that unless you are happy with the way a machine sews before you buy it, you will not be happy after you buy it. I would hate to buy something from the LQS just because the classes are there, and be unhappy with the machine at home.
I hope you come to a decision with which you are happy.