I wish I could say I'd NEVER buy a cheaper machine - but 1. I cannot - due to finances, and 2. I never know my future circumstances to say what I'd NEVER do. I have a WalMart Brother that I purchased because the one I'd had before lasted a good long time - are they perhaps throw aways? - yes, but when one does not have tons of money to spend they sure come in handy. They have both helped me earn enough money that I could quit my job and stay home with my children. Not a living, but enough... If I had to choose between using an older machine and buying a new one while waiting to have a really good one repaired - I'd use the old one.