I began quilting in 2000, having been sewing forever. Several of my friends have been very happy with their Berninas. I bought one of the more expensive models in 2001, because I could not afford the Viking I really wanted. It gave me huge amounts of trouble, ending with a frozen motor after 3 years. It was out of warrantee, of course. I bought a much cheaper Janome Which gave me excellent service. I have now passed that one on to a beginning quilter and have a model 6600, which I love. You have to make your decisions based on the reality of your finances, but I can tell you that the Janone dealer showed my DH the comparison between Bernina and Janome construction and he was very impressed, as I was by the stitching. I like the fact that the Janome has a mid-length arm which makes the actual quilting much easier.