It does seem like the older - mechanical - Berninas, are/were more reliable than some of the newer, computerized, models.
I would be totally bummed if I spent thousands on a machine, and it was in the repair shop more than half the time.
Actually, one of my favorite machines is a Singer 237. All it does is go forward, backwards, has three needle positions, zig-zag, and can drop the feed dogs. And it's a heavy machine. It was "portable" when I was stronger - not so much now. It is also that ugly tan and brown. But it is relatively hard to mess up.