Your going to get a lot of opinions.....let me add mine. I've had a Home dec business for 30 years. The best machine I've ever had and still use is my Designer II. It is a work horse. But I recognize that it is coming to the end of its life and purchased a Janome 9400 (WHICH I LOVE!!!!) and a Singer 16 straight stitch for the heavy commercial work I do. I would take the Viking in for a tune Up and see what they say. You can still get parts for it. If its not worth it trade it in and upgrade. I would think about investing in a separate machine for the embroidery. If your a avid sewer do you really want to be waiting for your embroidery to be done before you can sew?