What I take a chance on is stuck machines, messed up tension, not working, needle won't moove,..., things like that. More often than not it all moves again with cleaning, oiling and basic sorting out. Stuck screws I rather avvoid, but as long as there's a chance they free up with oil and a bit of patience and effort, I take a chance on it. At the right price it's not a big risk. That's how I bought my Elna Supermatic; main problem was hard packed dust under the bobbin case, needle in the wrong way, and half the bobbins were class 15. I didn't know this until I came home and spent a bit of time with it. Most of the all metal machines in reasonably good cosmetic condition are lightly used and likely only need a bit of TLC to run again.
Last edited by Mickey2; 08-06-2017 at 03:14 PM.