Should i buy this sweet sixteen????
 

i have been looking at this machine for some time, but the price of it has held me back from buying one. I dream of owning the sweet sixteen for a long time always saying some day...

I came across one for sale, it has a bobbin winder, thuStitch, table 36x30 with the extensions which is 18x30 I think, it has a table overlay and extra LED lights. She told me it had around 43000 stitch i think that is what she said..

the price is 3750.00, the machine is not in my state and it is about 300 miles from us. She said she would come half way so it didn't need to be shipped. i really really want this machine..haha
I asked why she is selling it and was told she got a different machine on a 12 foot frame.

I really want to get this machine but what if I have problems with it? she did say it ran really good and she never had any problem with it. would you buy a machine sight unseen, I guess people do this all the time on like Ebay.. Do I take a chance?

Only if I could try it out. Once she's got your money, that's it. Would you buy a car sight unseen, for that amount, without test driving it?

I would do it if the price were lower. I believe the cost new is about $5,000, and I would want the used price closer to 50% of new. With a lower price, I would probably arrange to drive the entire way myself so I could try out the machine, stay in a hotel overnight, and bring it back the next day. That would be the cost of "insurance" that the machine is in good working order. I just think $3750 is too high.

Price is too high for the risks. Check the warranty on the electronics (5 yrs?), (original owner?). You have to set it up yourself. What if you have problems? I have a friend who got a new machine for Christmas and so she was asking the same as your friend.....that is about what she spent 4 1/2 years ago. She said I would be saving the price that has gone up in those years. She was trying to recoup all her cost. Good for her, not so good for a buyer with problems. Now if you have a history of fixing and tinkering with machines, you may have high confidence you can address anything that is not so right. My hubby is a tinkerer. He recommended I buy new if I wanted it. Best wishes on your opportunity.

Personally I would grab it but I would drive the whole 300 miles and sew with it first! I bought a house sight unseen so I am probably not someone you should heed. I love the house by the way! Are you a 1941 baby? If so, we have that in common!

Agree with the others, if you want it, you should go to her place and know that it is working .... plus that when you get it that you have everything! Too easy when she is packing it up that something gets left behind, such as the bobbin winder!

The number of stitches is negligible, so no need to sweat on that, so long as she is telling you the correct number.

Price, agree too, without a warranty behind it (that you could maybe get with a dealer) does seem high. All I can say there, is to double check the current prices for the full package, and make your decisions on that.

Another thing, check which S16 model it is. Aren't they onto a 3rd (or 4th?) generation by now? Almost the same machine, but some nice features that you may wish you had, and would sooner pay the full price for an up-to-date model.

While you said you really want the machine, you didn't say whether you have done any test drives and how familiar you are with the machine. Regardless, I would spend some time with a dealer, and get really familiar with the machine before I headed off on this possible venture .... or decide whether you want to buy all new with warranty, training, support and service. You're missing all of those in the re-sale.

The table extension(s) run about $200 each, the overlay adds $100, the tru stitch if you buy it with the machine adds about $600 or separate $1,000 and the machine new is $4,995 from an online dealer without those extras. 43,000 stitches is nothing for usage, I had over 5,000,000 on mine when I sold it, and went to a longarm on a frame. It doesn't sound like your seller is totally out to lunch on her pricing IMHO, and like most vendors there's probably a little wiggle room ;) :). I bought mine used from a private seller and Handi Quilter via phone to Utah, was fantastic at helping me out when I had questions or issues. I didn't have even a local dealer to depend on. There are forums with many users to glean an abundance of information and advice from. I would definitely drive to the sellers location to see and try out the machine before you buy it. The other thing you can do, is get the seller to provide a picture of the Systems Information (I think that's what it's on) screen on the machine and have her email it to you. It will show the stitch count and the Serial Number and the Software and CPod versions and you could call Handi Quilter it see what version it has, if it is updatable if necessary. Then you know what you're getting.

What Kwilter said!

If I wanted a sit down this would be it. Only 43k stitches? good grief it's not even broke in yet.
You don't say how old the machine is but if she just traded up I bet it's not that old. Handi Quilter is good about warranties. If the machine is less than a year old they might transfer(start over) the full warranty. They did it when I bought my Avante although I bought a demo machine from a dealer.

Cari

LOL yes I am...

Thank you all!!! I found a dealer for the sweet sixteen that isn't to far from me, I think like a hour and half ride. so weather permitting I will be going there to try out one of these machines and get some prices. I have never tried the sweet sixteen just watched tons of videos on the net..Glad that I listened to one of the ladies here about trying it out first..Thanks again for all of your help!!

Glad I was able to help you! :) Good Luck .... plan to be able to stay for a good while. Might be best to book a n appt with them, to make sure someone who is well-informed is there to give you a good demo.

Before I bought my S16, I pounced on every thread on this Board and reading anything and everything I could to learn about it. By the time I went for test drives, I was pretty informed. I went to three shops, and discovered at two, I probably knew more than the people demonstrating it to me. Guilt struck, and I backed off. Two years later, I bought .......... and they were amazed at how well I settled in when I was taking my lessons. Guess I had been quilting on it in my mind all that time!

Have fun ..... and happy shopping!

Handiquilter is an excellent company with great customer service. You can always get help from them.

There is a HQ Sweet 16 group - wish I could remember if it was yahoo or google. You could get more info there, particularly about a reasonable price. With all the goodies you are over 6k MSRP but I don't know the markdown for used. 43 000 stitches is barely broken in.

I have a sweet 16. If you watch sales at a reputable dealer, you can get a new one for around $5,000. If you look at the used one, I would have ask the owner to have the repairman or dealer go through it before I bought it. We built our extensions from used countertop and piano hinges for $11.00. The company charges a lot for the same exact thing. A good dealer might know if someone upgrades and has a 16 for sale that is in good shape.

I purchased a Husqvarna 18 long arm from a preacher who's wife died shortly after she bought the machine. I couldn't try it out until it was set up in my home and it wasn't quite right.

Repairmen are rare as hen's teeth for long arms, but I found a Nolting repairman willing to fix it. The entire electrical system and computer had to be replaced. It is the same electrical system and computer as used in the Sweet Sixteen. Just saying.

If you decide to buy it I hope you get a really good one because they are very expensive to fix.

Ask her if she could video herself working on it, so you can know that it works. 43,000 stitches is not a large number for a machine used for FMQ. The table, and so on, seem right. I think you could use facebook live for the video, so you know it is not an old video or someone elses video.

I bought a HQ16 used, with frame, table and pc quilter in 2010 for $4,000. It has worked very well; most problems I had were due to operator error. My sister has the table, so it was never used by either of us on the table. It does not have tru-stitch, so can't speak for how well that works.

My DH cleans the machine for me about every 2 years, and so far we have found nothing to complain about before or after cleaning. The needle area always has some fuzz in it, even though I do take the needle plate off now and then to dust it, but the rest of the machine is clean and lint free. I oil clean and oil the bobbin area after each quilt is done. So maintenance has not been a problem for me.

If you can see the machine work, are able to look at whatever is quilted, and you really want it, I say go for it.

On another note, Grace Company now has a mid arm quilter, the Qnique. (Grace also makes the Block Rocket, which is the identical machine to qnique: although Brother is the actual manufacturer of both of the machines and has it's own Brother branded machine as well. It comes in 15M, R (which I think means stitch regulated) and a 21 inch. I believe you can get a new 14+ and a table for about the same cost as the used HQ set up. I am considering upgrading to the qnique 21 on a frame, and am this close () to making the purchase. My HQ set up will go to my sister, as she quilts as well.

An intensive search on Qnique to find best prices and dealers before you buy the used HQ. Having said all that, I have NOT ever actually seen a qnique in use, so everything I know about it is what I read on the internet.

I bought one last year $3000. Had about the same number of stitches. Was checked out by her repair guy who I’d met previously. He said it was in good condition and it is. Does not have table extensions, has a few little extras. I went to her house and played with the machine, the owner was great. I wouldn’t buy a machine without seeing if it worked. I would also want to see the receipt the last time it was serviced. An annual service is $200. The $3700 price is high but cheaper than a new one. Wait she may come down on the price. I’m in so cal so A number of used sweet 16s to choose from.

Well i went to the dealer and played with the sweet sixteen there, it is a wonderful machine, now I know I really want one..
I can buy the demo machine for 4695.00 with the table overlay and the bobbin winder which I found out comes with the machine. no Thu Stitch...

the difference from the used one is that one came with the Thu Stitch I made a mistake it didn't come with the extinction for the table. It is about 945.00 more them the used one without the Thu Stitch.. full warranty the demo..Don't know what to do..have to think on this one..

quiltlady1941, it was good taking the time to go and try out the 16 at the dealers.
I just wanted to offer a thought on the tru stitch. I think if you check with the other users of this machine you will find that most of us don't use our true stitch. there is a learning curve to working without it but most people seem to find they don't need it.

If you buy the used one from the dealer, he or she will or should stand behind the sale, so to speak and help you out with any issues. If you buy the other, it may end up costing you more in the long run, financially and/or emotionally. This is all depending on the dealer's honesty and work ethic, of course.

Speaking as someone who doesn't own a LA, but has done a BUNCH of research into them, I think for myself I'd be tempted to go back to the dealer and what is their absolute bottom dollar because you've found another machine for sale privately that has Tru Stitch, but you'd rather buy from the dealer and see what he/she comes back with.
If you can get the dealer down $500.00 to $4200.00 (or even less!) that's going to mean you have back-up and peace of mind, plus you don't have to drive all that way and it would be worth the extra $500.00 to me.
Just some thoughts.

Watson

Thank you so much for your great advice, I missed out on the used 16 she sold it! Oh well I would have had to drive 500 miles to get that one so I guess it wasn't meant to be. now the dealer has that demo with full warranty but she want 4695.00. I am not real good at trying to get her down in price but I am just going to say what is your bottom price and see where this goes. It is snowing pretty good here so today will not be a good day to drive 1 1/2 hours to the dealer but will go when the weather breaks.. Thank again and will everyone posted on my adventure of the sweet sixteen...