patricej

when i bought my Dream Machine2 i planned to sell my 8900.
theory was that the DM2 did everything the 8900 does, plus.

i am sooooo glad i never put any real effort into selling the 8900.
i now plan to keep it.

the 8900 is far better for free-motion. my skills are virtually nonexistent but i almost never get eyelashes with the 8900. i need mascara when i FM on any of my other machines. below are some things that work for me:
-make sure to use organ brand needles.
-sometimes you can get away with a size 12, but will usually need either a 14 or 16
-set the foot on the free-motion gadget to the lowest setting to start
-set tension to max to start
-those are the settings that work best for me, but we are all different so you might need to make adjustments to find those that work for you.

i can't remember the last time i removed the accufeed gadget. i use it for everything. if the used one doesn't include the 1/4" and open toe accufeet, buy them. they are worth every penny. good news is that the price for them has come down in the past few years.

i had to set my DM2 aside for my current project. it does not work and play well with lumpy seams.
using the accufeed on my 8900, i am sailing over them as though they were flat.

absolutely make the drive to give it a good test.
take lots of scraps and sample quilt sandwiches to use for that.
as long as she hasn't abused it, and if she's asking a reasonable price, i expect you will be very happy to buy it.