ok so WHY BOTHER???
 

SO why bother to refurbish an old black machine???
1) They CAN be made to work.
2) They are VERY well made.
3) They are like roaches - you really can't kill them.
4) They will last a very long time if cared for and used.
5) Keeps one more thing out of a land fill.
6) Nobody is ever going to make another one.
7) If you have ever sewed on one you will know why we all restore them.
8) The ugly ones work the best if they have been used the most - even if they have set around.
9) When they can be made to work they sew BEAUTIFUL and not much messing around with them all the time.
10) Some times they are very pretty under all the crud.
11) I'm finding that some people really do want them and really do want to use them.
12) I'm also finding that people have already bought one out a box, sewed and scrapped it - those people are ready for something that WORKS.
13) Dependable. Dependable. Dependable.
14) Those old black machines will sew through anything.
15) They can be worked on later on if needed.
16) Parts are available.
17) They were crafted not stamped out of plastic and metal
I think I could think up 100 reasons or more but I'm sitting in McDonalds in Naples and I'm running out of time. Please feel free to add reasons why you might remotely refurbish an old black sewing machine.

All of your reasons are great. For me, it also matters what stories they could tell. They have been through a lot, especially the well worn ones. What did they sew? Why? Who used them? Where? Things like that. I am a big novice in cleaning them up but still appreciate the old black machines.

If I add to the list, will I get a McNugget?

CD in Oklahoma

Coming to sewing machine appreciation late in life I can say I totally misunderstood the beauty of sewing and sewing machines. Early life I was taught to "leave that machine alone. I have it the way I like it, so, don't bother it." Now I realize those words were uttered by people who did not understand the process involved in stitch making.

Back to OP, Miriam, you covered most attributes of vintage collecting, but the one I like best is there is a beauty beneath that ugliness. Most, if not all, vintage black machines can be brought back to a beautiful, working machine.

They run quieter and smoother than their zigzag counterparts. From what I've seen only the high end modern machines compare.
They were made in a time when quality mattered and people could tell the difference. They were designed to last, not to break and be thrown out as soon as the warranty ended. Planned obsolescence hadn't been invented yet.
Rodney
EDITED TO ADD:
They were also built in a time when beauty mattered. The designers didn't have to design the cast iron stands with all the fancy scrollwork. They did it because they wanted to and because they could. The people of the time also would have rejected anything that wasn't both functional and beautiful.
Compare the craftsmanship and art of an old black machine to a modern plastic one with a sticker added to it.
We have lost a lot in our pursuit of "progress".

This is all so true. My mother would not allow me to touch her sewing machine but because my cousin took home ec, she was allowed. Hers was newer but I could go to my grandmother's and use her treadle (practice on it). Then one day she was talked into selling it. Oh well I'm happy with my 2 Singers (2662 and 401). Love my machines! I am in awe of everyone who has, repairs and uses the older models.

I like history. Using a vintage sewing machine is like reaching out and touching the past.

By using their machine I feel connected to past needleworkers who are long gone and even forgotten.

DH & I have had a running argument over whether or not we've REALLY made progress in the world or not. Everything now is disposable, designed to break, and nobody knows how anything works. My argument is that if something is designed to fail it's not an improvement, even if it's fancier while it's working.

I do love technology, though...I love that my car can stream Pandora radio station as I'm driving around, and the internal computer is pretty cool with all the navigation and fuel monitoring, and the push-button ignition makes me feel like I'm one of the Jetsons. But is it REALLY better than an old 50's car? In 20 years, which one will still work just like new? Betcha not my fancy new car. Betcha not my fancy computerized sewing machine, either.

Vintage machines are sustainable. If society collapses I'm hanging on to my oldest sewing machine, so when I'm squatting in my cave grilling lizards over a campfire at least my rags will be properly hemmed! LOL

simply because they actually sew better than a modern machine