AZ Jane

"and a little bit when it's a little off, but of course they're quick to shut it down when it's not in "close-the-sale" condition."" - that would kill the deal for me. You should be able to use it enough to feel comfortable with your decision.

Sharon5012

Oh, I do love the Q20, so I hope it turns out to be a good one. I have it on my own wish list as well. Most of my machines have been used and so far they have been completely perfect. All you can do is go see it and play with it, then hope for the best. Wishing you a great experience.

aashley333

My Bernina is 40 years old and going strong. I do know that the warranty is voided if not serviced by a certified Bernina service agent.

rjwilder

Try to find out the service history and also if is there a local dealer close by who can service it. Ask if the technician is certified to fix it A certified technician is better than just a person who can fix sewing machines. These machine are a little more complex and a bit fussy. Also, how heavy is the machine and can you carry it to the shop or will they come to your house? Ask what the cost is for service and house calls. I purchased a used Sweet 16, I was able to call the company with the serial number and they told me a lot of good information. The prior owner had it about 5 years and apparently never used it much, it was a steal.

bobdavisnpf

Thanks all for the kind and informative responses.

Seller's shop was just the right mix of helpful while respecting her privacy rights. Built and bought in 2015, never serviced.
Machine has just 60K stitches - 3K of which were ours from testing.
We did try a couple different sandwiches, but only on the standard foot, and without a lot of trying different settings. All 3 of us found that, combined, we still had less knowledge than we needed to quickly and properly adjust settings!
I easily outran it and had issues a bit worse than I've had on store models when outrunning. Sewing too fast is my problem, I know, but I wanted to see how this Q20 handles it compared to other Q20's I've seen.
It ran a little rough and vibrated a bit more than any other Q series I've tried. Seller said she thought so too, it never did seem to run quite right. Rather than work with dealer she put it off and focused on piecing and other projects with the 880 she'd bought at the same time.

I was ready to walk away to re-evaluate, having repeated that our decision isn't Q20 or none, but is private-party used vs dealer-new. My wife and her really hit it off, she has a good feeling about it, wanted to offer just a little less than asking, and seller quickly agreed.

We've reassembled the table and dropped the machine off at our local dealer for service, any needed repairs, and re-certification for 3-year service contract. We'll find out then, what we're actually paying for the used vs new purchase!

Suz

I have a ‘new to me’ Q20 sitting at home waiting for me to return home in March. It was a floor model, therefore little use. I don’t know how to check the number 0f use hours, but it can be done. Ask for help to get this info. It’s in the machine somewhere. Like another said the Q20 is a relatively new machine and Bernina makes quality machines. Incidentally, I chose the table that can raise to use standing or lowered to use seated and ever height in between.