Our first Pfaff purchase was a new Expression 2038 around 2009. Excellent machine. Not a ton of bells and whistles, but has several stitches and one (or maybe two) alphabet. Most importantly, it does have IDT. This machine was made in Eastern Europe before Pfaff sold out to the parent company of Singer. This was my wife’s machine until she upgraded.
Next purchase was a used 1475CD purchased around 2010 from a Pfaff dealer. It was made in Germany, probably in the early 1990’s. I paid $300 or $400 for it and it has been an excellent machine also. It has more stitches and alphabets than the 2038. It also has a low bobbin indicator.
Next purchase was a Hobby 1200 GrandQuilter. We only ever used it to quilt on a frame. It was straight stitch only and did NOT have the IDT. It was a semi-industrial machine that could sew 1600 stitches per minute. It was also an excellent machine for its purpose. We traded it for a mid arm machine around 2014.
The latest Pfaff purpose was a new Creative 3.0 around 2017. It has lots of bells & whistles, fonts and alphabets. I don’t remember where it was made, but I think it was made in Eastern Europe. It’s packed away right now or I’d look. This is my wife’s machine, and I’m now using the 2038. The 1475 is still in the stable but doesn’t get a lot of use these days.
We have never had a problem with any of our Pfaffs that required major service. Most of our problems have been self induced and the tech just demonstrated the correct way to do what we wanted and we were golden. I would not hesitate to repurchase any of the machines we’ve had.
My sister went to our dealer last year thinking she couldn’t afford a Pfaff and just wanted to look. She ended up finding a machine that she loved and took it home that day. I think her budget was higher than yours, but definitely under $1,000.
When you see your dealer, ask about trade in machines and consigned machines. You should be able to find something that will work for you.