My sister bought the Brother sewing machine at Costco - she bought it years ago and it is still going strong. It came with the extension table and a walking foot, which I believe is a must now. I have a 64 year old Singer (15-91) that I learned to sew on, sewed clothes for me and my sisters when we were in high school. It is also going strong. It is in a cabinet, so when I tried to sew on a portable it just didn't work. It also didn't help that my 1973 Singer had plastic gears that were junk and was in the shop more than it sewed.
Until she knows for sure that she likes to sew, she should start either with a refurbished machine (providing you have a dealer you can trust) or check out the Brother machines.