Thanks so much! This is exactly the kind of info I wanted. Thank you to everyone who responded!

Thanks for this tip about Overstock. They pop up when you do searches for appliances of any kind but I've never purchased from them so it's good to know they are as advertised.

My budget will stretch to a more expensive machine but from long experience I've learned I don't always use everything that comes with a new purchase. My dishwasher for instance has about ten buttons on it; I consistently use one of them. And yet you pay for all those extra buttons whether you use them or not. What I want is a good sturdy machine that does what I want but not necessarily more than I want....if that makes sense. Clsurz' thinking appears to match mine, but all your suggestions are very helpful and I appreciate them all! Thanks!

I totally get that. I passed up a great deal on a newer Brother computerized machine because it was lacking that one feature - up/down needle is a necessity for me too!