Bearisgray: did you come to any conclusions on the subject? There really aren't any guaratees, and I guess the main reasons to get a new machine would be the old one doesn't work or aren't fit for the purpose you need it for. The new have a few nice features, like 9 mm zigzag, built in upper feed, stretcy stitches, auto stitch regulator for free motion. I like a good button hole too. I don't bother too much with needle up/down, auto tie off, auto thread cutter. I do well with the separate walking foot... If you like working on a simple 201, you probably would not like many (or any) of the lower to medium priced machines, you really need to serach a bit ot get a nice one at a reasonable price.