I have seen heaps of praise for older sewing machines. I used to drive an old car, so I can sympathize. When it was running well it was great--good gas mileage, reliable, and really cheap. So if I had an older, workhorse sewing machine, I just know I'd love it too. I would like to heap praise on my new-ish, low end Kenmore sewing machine. But when I was a kid, my Nana had one of those 70s models, a Kenmore. It was lost in the selling or her house. But I can tell you, it never ran well. In fact, I was never allowed to touch it, since the timing seemed to go screwy if you looked at it funny. Maybe all it needed was the right tune up, but I don't quite believe it. Sewing machines, like cars, can just be lemons, after all. The right older car is a marvel, but plenty of them suck, too. When I wanted a sewing machine, I read the message boards and reviews. An older, metal machine from the 70s, seemed to be the consensus. So I looked at secondhand shops and on Craigslist and whatnot.