I have sewn on most all the high end machines. The all sew a nice. All the features and options give me a headache though. I'm just not sold on spending thousands for a machine I will use 99% of the time to sew a straight seam. I bought an older Bernina that has the features I knew I would use.

I had an older Bernina that I traded for a Janome. I now have a Janome Magnolia 7330 computerized machine, that I love, love, love! That one sells for around $400. I think it depends on how much money you want to spend...there are many lower priced machines that will do the job.

I bought a top of the line Pfaff probably 15 years ago. I have never been sorry. The high end machines have features you just can't get on the cheaper stuff - needle down, dual feed, needle threader (only started using that recently), etc...
That being said, I still use my old faithful 401a when the Pfaff is in the shop. Even if there isn't a problem, the newer ones need to have maintenance work to keep them running well. I do all the maintenance on my old Singer and she has not spent a single day in the shop in the 30 years I have had her!

I really love my Janome 7700. I just went for it. I have a computerized Brother ES6000. It was free and you can't beat free, but I wanted a bigger throat. I'm 70 years old and just started Quilting in December of 2012 so I think I deserved a really good machine. It has way more stitches than I will ever use, but I don't care. I have yet to install the knee lifter, but after reading the post from above, I think I will try it. Just do it!

I'm retiring TODAY! ( happy dance!). DH said to go upgrade my current 7700 Janome! I traded it and a second machine in,and took advantage of the sale they had ,and came home with an 8900! It came out at a price I. Could afford. This machine is very smooth and quiet( important since I sew inLiving Room,right behind DH's chair and he fusses if I sew fast and make too much noise). It has great lighting,an 11 inch bed and sews like a quiet dream. It'll be my work horse for years to come,I hope. I test drove a lot of machines before I made my decision.

The most expensive machine I ever purchased was my Janome 6500 and it has been the worst machine that I have ever had. I don't think you can judge a machine just by the dollars. My newest machine is a slightly used Juki-TL98Q (which I bought for $600) and I absolutely love it because it is capable of handling what I do. I do a lot of piecing, walking foot and FM quilting which this machine was designed to handle as it is sturdy, fast and has a larger throat. There is no point spending many extra dollars to buy a machine with 250 stitches if you just want to machine quilt. You need to figure out what you want your machine to do and what features you really need and shop for a machine based on your list. I haven't been able to find a machine that does exactly what I need so my solution has been to have two machines. My Husqvarna #1Plus was also purchased slightly used (many components still in the box) for $200 and will stitch multiple stitches, buttonholes, embroider etc. For $800 I now have machines that will do everything that I need to do.

Yes and no. It depends on what you want your machine to do. You can do amazing things with a very simple machine. BUT, that being said, some of the bells and whistles are really nice to have. Also, if you don't want to drop that kind of cash but want a high end machine, you could consider buying used. My Mom bought a used Pfaff at a local sewing machine dealer...she spent $1000 on it, new it was twice that. She's used it for ten years now and the only thing that has gone on it is the bobbin thread sensor...and she just doesn't want to pay to fix it. ;)

I would not recommend spending the extra money on a high end machine just for the fancy stitches. I would buy a higher priced machine for the features such as needle down, dual feed, etc.. Most of the time you can get a used machine with all the great features. I agree with Shelbie - who needs 250 different stitches??

I would first go to a dealer and see what they have in trade ins. A lot of time, they'll have a high end machine that was traded in for a higher end machine, this is how I got my Elna Quilter's Dream, a year old at the time, for $900.

I agree with the above. Go test drive some machines. I made sure I tried not only different price ranges but different brands of machines. I settled on the Janome 7700. It is my 2nd Janome and love them both. Also make sure you have a local dealer who can do repairs, answer questions and hopefully offers free classes to teach you all about using the many features of the machine. Mine gives free lessons for the life of the machine. Good luck.