Originally Posted by
Heathermom2opmc
I live in very northern NY near the Canadian border. In general I have not seen any vintage singers in years around here, and if they are they are in the estate sale auctions.
Yes, location plays a big part. I searched locally for years for a red-eye 66 at a price I could afford at the time and * poof * two appeared within a few weeks of each other. One had fairly sound decals and I was able to completely restore the finish, re-wire it, make it run perfectly. The other looked the same, but acted very differently when I started trying to clean it. Wiping it with sewing machine oil took the color and gold off of the decals - they were shot and I will have to apply reproduction decals. You win some you lose some, right?
If this machine is in your budget and you really want it - go for it - I am still kicking myself for a beautiful blue machine I didn't buy years ago.
Like someone else has said, "sometimes the heart just wants what it wants."
Either way, good luck and I hope you enjoy your decision, whichever way you go. It's a darned good machine, even if you may have to put some real elbow grease into cleaning and restoring it to full working order. That is its own kind of enjoyment, so it might be a double-win for you, too.