My husband collects and occasionally sells Featherweights. I personally sew on one as much as I do on my more expensive
Bernina. The stitch is wonderful, always tight and straight. The birth year doesn't really matter. I got my first one for my birthday and it was born the same year as I was. I might say, it's in better condition, and runs much better too!
These little work horses are extremely well built and will outlive most of us. They are simple to maintain and like Timex, they just "keep on a tickin'."
Odor/mold can be a problem with the cases. (The little black boxes they come in.) It's hard to get the odor out, in fact, if it's really musty, nothing really works. I have a friend who got sick everytime she used hers. She had ordered it from EBAY. She had mentioned that it smelled musty, but when I saw it I nearly choked. The odor was very strong and mold was all up under the side attachment box. The lesson here is to BEWARE of anything with even a slight odor. None of mine smell and they date back to 1938.
Don't rush to buy, there are plenty out there. I bought one just this last weekend. Good luck in your search, you'll love your Featherweight.