Stay away from buying a machine at the big box stores, whether it is a brother, a singer, etc. They are the very lowest quality and will not last if you do a lot of sewing. I would strongly recommend that you go to a dealer and test drive every machine they have (bring your own fabric similar to what you commonly use). I found a gently used janome 6600 that I love from my local dealer for $1000. It has all the features I need....needle down, auto thread cutter, needle threader, built in walking foot system, feed dogs down, lots of deco stitches (and I do use them). Dealer support is a must for the new computerized machines of today. Mine came with unlimited free classes on how to use the machine as well as a technician/repairman on site ....which made me feel better about any future problems or tuneups.