I will add this again, as I always do to threads asking about "what machine should I get". Some places are not awash in used and vintage machines. I speak from my own personal experience. If I were wanting to sew, it wouldn't be as easy as just going to a few garage sales at the end of the week and finding such a machine that was in good shape, for a good price. So if someone wanted to start sewing pretty soon, I would still go for a basic or higher Brother. They work out of the box, have no tension problems in my experience, are happy with any thread, in my experience, and have never needed a class or dealer. The manuals are very well written. In my personal experience with 3 of them.