I agree that the old Singers are by far the most reliable and best when it comes to simple piecing and some quilting. I recently went with a Husqvarna Lily, which I do like for machine quilting, but my tried and true Singer 301 is my favorite!

I love my Bernina but I also love my old Singers. They are such a joy to sew on!

I just discussed this topic with an LQS owner who also repairs all kinds of machines. She is a very talented lady! She said that she knows of quite a few people who are having trouble with the new Janomes. Her best recommendation is one of the older models of the Pfaffs. She says she likes the new ones too but they are not as good as an older one with less circuitry and plastic.
She said that the problems with most of the new machines is that they are too complicated with trying to put too much into one machine.
Now that I have said all that I will also tell you she is a Pfaff dealer. I believe I can trust her since she is that honest.

Well, a different opinion about buying a machine from Craigslist--you should try any machine you buy and unless you know to thread and run many different machines, you may have trouble being sure that a used machine is really in good working order and won't give you trouble. You won't get a warranty or any help from a Craigslist seller if you have problems.

I've bought three used machines from my local Bernina dealer, which were tradeins. They were carefully checked out and serviced before they were put out for sale, and they actually guaranteed them for a short time--I think 30 days. I got a really great deal on each of them, and the store personnel can help you figure out how to thread them, etc. and you can try them out right there at the store. Hope you have a dealership where you live! That's my recommendation for you!

Dana

Good luck, I have two Juki TL 98QE, large throat straight stitch, which is all I do, I piece on 1 and quilt on the other. Good machines.

There's a great site at www.patternreview.com that has a machine search wizard where you can pick the features you want in a machine and it will bring up machines and reviews with those features. Maybe give that a try and see what options are out there that tickle your fancy!

Oh Scrappydoo, you are so helpful, as are all of the others! Thank you all so much! :thumbup:

I love my Bernina and as someone said before they are alot. But, they are all metal housing and gears. My last machine had plastic gears. Paid $99 and had it for 25 years so I got my moneys worth. But when it broke that was it. Repairman couldn't find parts.

If I had to go out and but another machine today...I would look on ebay at the Pfaff preferrably the Quilt Expression or the Husqvarna Viking Sapphire. Both have very large beds for putting those large quilts through for FMQ.

Honestly if it has plastic on it I would not even bother with it. To many vintage machines out there to be had that will do anything you want for way less than half of the price. I have several machines for sale that would be perfect for you and they are all under $100 shipping included and you will not be able to kill them. And they all have been freshly serviced and run like they did fresh out of the box!

Billy

Hey Billy! That sounds good! Where do I go to see these machines? I am very interested in seeing what you have. I have received soooo many great opinions. As of now, I've decided just to locate a darning foot for my inherited Singer, and take my time looking for my next "friend". I am also researching all of the machines mentioned here. You've all been great!