If you are an experienced sewist, don't hesitate to buy a boxed machine. Most will have a manual for the most used features. That dealer is feeding you BS. The same model, (check the numbers carefully) should be the same every where. I would NOT buy from newspaper ads that say high school overstock and such stuff as that because the schools do not teach home ec any more so that is BS too. Buy from Amazon, QVC, Best Buy or a reputable source and you should be fine. I have purchased machines from Ebay and had good luck too, but read the descriptions carefully and ask questions.