I just bought myself a Pfaff Passport 3 - for taking out of the house quilting sessions. I like it just fine - it's decently heavy so it doesn't bounce around and I can't push it around but I can still lift it. And it had needle up/down, sews with the touch of a button, and it cuts the thread which is a bit weird. Don't thin I'll ever get used to that. Unfortunately it doesn't have the alphabet included in the embroidery stitches but it does have the serpentine stitch. So I think I can pass my Janome 4800 on to my grand daughter - she's already referring to it as "her" machine.
But for sewing at home... I love my Pfaff 1222.... almost 50 years old and still stitching like a champ!