Like Maire, I love sewing machines too. From the small little hand held items to the very large expensive ones. My DH thought I was crazy one year for Christmas I wanted this very small plastic sewing machine. It was advertised as a child's machine or quick use machine. It holds a bobbin for the top thread - but it is cute and fun to play with and very loud.
I fell in love with the FW and ended up buying three! Gave two away when I realized machines work best if they are used periodically and my sister was doing a lot of sewing and only had one machine, and my niece too only had one machine. But I have the machine my mother taught me to sew on - a Singer 15-91 in a cabinet. That's my favorite. But I bought the Janome MC6600P because it has the bigger harp, and then I got the Husqvarna/Viking Designer Topaz 20 because embroidery looked so much fun and discovered with a friend that it is! I have my great-great Aunt May's 1925 Damascus treadle machine - it is so fun to use. (And I read the Amish still consider an item made by hand if it is sewn on a treadle. So I have made a couple hand made quilts and used my treadle to put on the binding.) And one day I was watching HSN and they had this portable little machine which they called a "Quilter's friend" since it was light weight and came with the table - it was perfect to take to quilt group meetings so I had to have it. Still take it from time to time when I need more than a straight stitch from my FW.
I stay away from thrift stores or antique stores because the machines want to follow me home. I really want to up grade but believe I need a real reason to do it since they are so expensive now.
When people getting into sewing ask me what to buy I suggest they buy the most machine they can afford. A really good machine makes sewing more enjoyable and if it has more bells and whistles you are more likely to continue to grow.