I'm right there with sewbizgirl, something doesn't smell quite right.... Bernina is one of the very few machines that is still all metal inside where it counts, including the gears. There are a few that are exceptions at the very low end, but they are few... I'd take it elsewhere for another opinion. It's unfortunate, but a fact that there are folks out there looking to take advantage of anyone they can... get your machine for little or nothing and sell you a profitable replacement and then sell your Bernina for a healthy profit as well... I hope this isn't the case, but I've been burned enough to be very wary.