I learned to sew on a 201 and currently own at least two of them.
What most people fail to take into account is that was Singer's flagship at the time. It was not an inexpensive machine by any measure. So if you want to find a "comparable" machine nowdays - you'll be looking in the several thousand dollar range.
When you buy a vintage machine and buy what was once the top of the line, it should be a very good machine within its design. If you buy a vintage machine that was low end when it came out - don't expect it to compare to a high end machine.
I've been lucky to almost always have owned top of the line machines, starting with a 201, and moving up. When I started looking at machines a few years ago, I realized I'd not find anything that worked up to my standards and had extra features that was under about $5,000 new.
Another note on vintage machines, if you want a good workhorse, find a machine that shows wear. The older machines were not produced with the fit and finish that can be achieved with current machining, so you want a machine that had lots of hours on it so it's well broken in. One of my favorites was a Singer 15-90 that came with a host of specialty attachments and had seen a lot of use. That machine was smoother than any other Singer I've sewn on - but I've sewn on many 15's I didn't like near as well, but they were in much nicer shape.