ArchaicArcane

I would say that the cord that plugs into the wall and to the foot control should never be a deal killer. They can be replaced for under $10 and you can do it yourself. It's very easy - 6 screws and 4 of them are to remove the feet and open the pedal. 2 screws for the wires themselves. It's also a bargaining point during the sale.

Now the wiring inside - that's usually fine because it doesn't get disturbed much. There is a lead shield on the wiring for the light in the older machines - I noticed it wasn't there on a newer FW I serviced before Christmas - might have been the white one. Where I've found wear on the internals is right at the back of the connector. If you're ever concerned, you can take your machine to a sewing machine repair place or even an electrician. Lots of people have family friends who are electricians. 120V power is very simple. Yes - it has to be respected - but may people have the knowledge to work on a simple electrical system like what's in a featherweight.

The original Singer bakelite pedal can be adjusted. It's a simple carbon pile resistor pedal so it does generate heat - the power you don't use while sewing slowly is converted to heat because it has to "go" somewhere and you've told it not to go to the machine. If they get too hot or make noise, they need adjustment.

What the wiring looks like outside is often a good indicator of what the wiring is like on the inside but not always. I recently had to rewire my industrial machine right back to the coils despite the external wiring looking impeccable.

In my market, $350 should get you a pristine 221 or possibly a darn good looking 222. It's the very high end of what someone should pay here. I sit on them for a long time - and I only sell them fully serviced - at $275 here.

Ahh,.. I've done that too. You typically only do it once though, very few of us find the need to try it a second time to see if the first time was an anomaly!