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I would recommend getting an OLD singer (check craigslist) and having it tuned up. All you need is a straight stitch and a zig-zag. A metal Singer (with metal, rather than plastic gears) will work much more reliably than the new ones. Get one made in the 50s or 60s. You'll spend less (expect $100 or so) and it will last much longer and run better and sew better than a cheap new one.

I would not waste my money on any of the machines listed.

Where would you get an old Singer tuned up??

I would have once agreed with you LorieS, I had been using my grandmother's old Singer for years--up until about a year ago when it started having issues with its gears, a few hundred dollars worth of service later and it still isn't working properly. I'd have been better off buying new for the same amount of money.

my mom has an old vintage sewing machine ...i believe its a viking. she has had tons of problems with it the past 3 years. I told her for mother's day I would just buy her a brand new one that has a warranty so she doesn't have to end up going to a family members house to borrow their machine.

As someone who's been sewing for half a century, I'm delighted that young people are rediscovering the skill. I've own Singer, Pfaff, Viking, and Elna machines. Frankly, Singer ain't what it used to be. Since the 1970s Singer makes an inferior product. For the same amount of money, the best bets for beginners are either Kenmore [always reliable] or Janome. The latest issue of Consumer Reports [March 2009] has a fairly informative review of "starter" sewing machines. Frankly all you need for most sewing is a good basic machine, preferably with a built-in buttonholer and nowadays a needle threader.

I just got a vintage Bernina 831 for Christmas and love it! My uncle cleaned the brushes on it for me and it works just fine. I do think that the older machines (if they are a good brand) are a great way to go.

Maybe find a local small machinery repair shop and see if they have any older machines?

I have to agree with LorieS_ on this. Those old metal singers only go forwards, back, and zig zag. They are great, though. My first machine was one, and I could sew through leather just fine.

As for tune ups, any machine you take in to be fixed is going to cost. I have had better luck getting the old singers fixed, than some of the cheaper new ones.

I have had an old metal singer, a couple cheap kenmores, and now a Husquavarna Viking.

The metal singer and the Husquavarna were the cheapest to get repaired. the Kenmores were a nightmare. I went through about one of those a year, and was the reason I went for the more expensive Husquavarna.

I would say it doesn't really matter what kind of machine you get. If you buy it from some of the smaller dealers, you can get lessons for how to use it thrown in. I recommend going to a place that specializes in sewing machine sales, and going back and talking to more than one sales clerk.

Everyone has a favorite machine. I know I was sold on the Husquavarna when the sales lady sewed through a yardstick and it kept on working. I'm a super heavy user, that sews things that were never intended to go through a machine, though.

I got a Brother sewing machine for christmas and so far it has been working pretty well. Its one of the Project Runway editions. Im pretty happy with it so far for something I didnt buy for myself. Sewing machines always seem to have one problem or another anyway, so Im just waiting... I found a really old singer curbed a long time ago, its all green, even the cord is green. I tried to use it but it has no reverse so I saw no point.