Your story sounds very similar to mine. I had a 7700, loved it and sewed with it nearly every day for two years, then suddenly it started having issues. I took it in for the annual service, issues still not resolved, brought it in a couple more times, then decided to trade it in for an 8900 while it was still worth something. I've had the 8900 for a year and have not regretted my decision at all. My dealer also gave me a fabulous deal on my trade-in which made the upgrade even more sweet. The only drawback, and this is very small, is that the 8900 feet are not interchangeable with my 6600, which I have had for many years and is a true workhorse.