:D Maybe Santa will comply? :D
I promise, I've been a reeeeeeeeeeeally good girl this year! :)

I would stay away from any new Bernina until it has been out for at least a year. Their new models are FULL of bugs. And I would stay away all together unless you live near a COMPETENT tech. And having attended training does NOT assure this, as there is no test for competency. Bernina company does not control or supervise dealer techs. Once they have your $$$$$ you are on your own.

After 8 months I finally got my 710 sewing properly, but I had to find a new tech, as the original one is useless, My previous 3 Berninas were wonderful, but I will never buy another one.

Consideration to the quality of afterservice and support available
are all part and party of the buying decision IMHO
.......... whether a sewing machine, a car, renovations, etc.

Yes, there will be bad Bernina techs but there are many great ones (I am SO lucky!)
Just as we can all share horror stories in other areas ... and have delightful ones to tell too.

It helps when there are 2 of you willing to invest in a quilting setup, meaning my sister-in-law and I. We're some of the lucky ones to have a great Bernina dealer/tech within 10 miles of where we live. They bend over backwards to make sure their customers are treated right. They are Mennonite and are very friendly, I even stop in just to talk to them.