Old 11-27-2020, 11:04 PM
  #31  
bonjo
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Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 3
Talking I never by brand new top-of-the-line anymore (Viking)

Originally Posted by fruitloop View Post
I have the Sparrow 30. It is my go to machine now. I love the features. I have a newer Bernina. I will sell the Bernina and buy the Sparrow QE. Can buy a lot of them for what the Bernina cost. I realized it was a big waste of money to buy a high end machine when 95% of my sewing is a straight stitch. LIve and learn.

I've been a Husqvarna Viking owner/user since 1980 when I bought my first machine, an entry-level 5710, which I traded in for the top-of-the-line at the time, a 6570 in 1981. I upgraded a few more times over the years, each time to the top-of-the-line at the time because Viking would give us full purchase price trade-in value for our machines to buy a new machine. But Viking stopped that in 1997 after I traded in my Viking Prisma 990 for the #1+ (my first sewing and embroidery machine).


I no longer buy 'new' top-of-the-line machines from Viking, or any brand, because you get next to nothing for your current machine trade-in and buying these machines brand new, means a huge loss in value.


So, I now wait a few years for the top-of-the-line to lose it's value, and then I buy someone's gently used top-of-the-line for far less than the new price.


That's how I got my first Viking Designer Diamond in 2014 from my local Viking sales & service center. My machine was six years old and barely used (only a little over 200 'real' hours)...I paid 1/3 of what it originally cost new. Then, in 2019, five years later, I picked up another Diamond on ebay for only $900. It had similar hours on it and the only thing it was missing was the clear Viking stylus and there were a few scratches on the touchscreen that virtually disappeared after I installed a screen protector sized for that machine by photodon.com. I was able to replace the stylus at my new Viking sales & service center because the one I went to for 30 years, sold out.


My suggestion, unless you have thousands of dollars burning a hole in your wallet, buy a gently used machine with all the bells and whistles for a fraction of the new cost, donate some money to your favorite charity, buy a new washer and dryer, and you'll still have money left over vs. buying a brand new top-of-the-line sewing machine.
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