I feel your pain! Once I said that I wanted to look at a particular machine and the salesperson directed me to a completely different one for no apparent reason (maybe that manufacturer had a kickback incentive that month or something). I didn't want to have a battle just to get to look at the machine I wanted, so I left and went somewhere else. That's harder to do these days as there are fewer and fewer places that sell machines.
I hate buying cars so much that I hang on to my old ones until they start falling apart. I hope it doesn't get that bad with sewingmachines.