I recently bought a Janome Silver from Kens Sewing Center; so far, sew good (spelling intentional). ;)
The Silver is retired; same features as the basic Gold model. This is a mechanical machine rather than computerized; I think the Platinum is computerized.
As it isn't my "main machine," I didn't need a lot of features, fancy stitches, etc. What I was looking for was a machine that was easily transported (my Bernina, which I love, is 25 lbs. and is inserted in a table) and pieced well. I definitely feel I got what I needed with the Silver Gem.