I purchased a new machine in 2014 (a Juki F600). I had not sewn in probably 20 years but I wanted to learn to quilt. The small machine I had had such a small throat that I knew I would never get going ... plus I had experienced problems with the machine years ago and just didn't want to fool with it. I began my research on-line, visited my local dealer who carrys Brother, Janome and Juki ... then a second dealer that carrys Bernina. Went back on-line ... read lots of reviews ... back to the dealer ... long story short, I purchased the Juki because it had a larger throat and it just "spoke" to me when I sewed on it. And because some of the other machines were way out of my price range (which was $500-$800). I did go over my budget but the F600 had all the bells and whistles I wanted to make this new quilting experience enjoyable. It does have far more fancy stitches than I will ever use.
So, for me, I wanted convenience of a dealer nearby; a smooth running, easy to use machine to teach myself how to quilt ... and that's what I feel I purchased. I've had the machine serviced once (the free service the dealer offered after 1 year of use) and I basically just keep the lint cleaned out. So I feel l will use this machine for a long time. Perhaps some machines are "disposed" of sooner rather than later due to how much they are used, how hard they are used, or if they are not maintained properly. It's hard to say since I haven't experienced that. But I can tell you the bells and whistles are wonderful. Ha.