Eliminate as many of the possibilities as you can before making a decision. I agree with the foot pedal/power cord suggestion. My friend had an issue with her Janome and the foot pedal - her husband took the pedal apart and found it clogged with dust and hair. Works fine now. I had a similar issue with one of my Brothers dying, swapped out the power cord with another Brother I own, works fine now. Find a friend with a Janome, or take your machine down to the dealer and ask to test a new power cord and foot pedal so you can eliminate these as problems.