I have had a couple Bernina's and never had a problem with them. I just bought a used Bernina 135 last week and have no qualms about it still being in good working condition --since I have never had a problem with a Bernina machine. Also, no matter what brand of machine someone has, sometimes problems develop due to the owner's errors--such as not ever oiling or cleaning them. I am a faithful believer in Bernina and don't know anyone who owns one that has had any troubles with their Berninas.

Many folks buy Bernettes for children, but if you can go to the Bernina 12 it is more than worth the extra bit of money. I don't know much about the older Bernina, but I am about to learn a LOT about the new ones. What I know so far is that they are under warranty for at least one year, and the dealer should have someone who knows how to fix a problem or be able to send it back to Bernina to be fixed. No reason to have one that doesn't work right.