I had the last Kenmore (made by Janome back then??) right before they went computerized, so all those boxes of cams and attachments. I loved that machine, used all sorts of features because I was still doing costuming and garment construction back then. Could do anything from the lightest silk/organza to upholstery weight. Then even with the 20-year warranty, after about 5-7 years one of the integral metal components on the bottom broke and I could not get it repaired and it, of course, was not covered by the warranty. I went to Sears. I went to independent repair shops plural.
That was when I started using my back up machine which had belonged to a friend's Grandmother, a Remington Super Deluxe Model 155 with zig zag! That's been my primary machine for most of the last 20+ years. A friend gave me a modern (computerized) Bernina 820 but it is broken and needs a trip to the shop. When I was taking it down and putting the Remington up, my foot pedal fell off the desk top and an early plastic thing inside finally shattered after some 60+ years of abuse. My vintage repair guy applied for an exemption as a necessary business and was granted it, and so I was able to get a new foot pedal (ordinarily I'd just shop at the local thrift stores for a machine of the appropriate vintage and buy one just for the foot pedal for $20-40, but those are closed now). He cleaned it up super nice.
I've been sewing on my portable/class machine, a bottom of the line Brother and actually rather impressed that's kept up with me for the last 3 months or so. But yesterday it ran out of bobbin thread and I put Remy back up.
Oh my goodness, after chasing that Brother around like a loose dog, it feels so nice and stable and just purrs... I do love my Remy. It was worth paying a few bucks to get it up and running again.