Actually, if she got 25 years out of it, she did really well. Most machines today are made in Asia, regardless of where the company headquarters are located. You need to get a check-list of the features your wife wants and go from there. I'd recommend finding a good dealer, who specializes in service.

One thing that I was told by a friend who recently shut down her sewing machine dealership--a family business started back in the 1950s--is that her company rep told her to stop fixing machines, even if they were still under warranty. Her job was to sell new machines, preferably the most expensive ones in the line up. This was the last straw for Sandy, and she opted to close the shop rather than treat her customers so shabbily.

I personally only use vintage and antique machines, but I don't want a lot of extra features, so they work very well for me.

Annie

Investigate these makes: Bernina, Viking, Huskystar, BabyLock, Elna, Janome, Juki, Brother and Pfaff. Go to your local dealers of quality sewing machines and let them show you what they have. Also, ask about used machines that they have refurbished and will guarantee.

Be sure to ask your wife what SHE wants in a sewing machine.

Check out the models you are considering on this board for reviews by its members:

Here is a link that might be useful: sewing machine and serger reviews

My wife's old Monkey Wards machine was used sporadically over the 25 or so years that we had it. She uses a sewing machine to make drapes, table cloths, etc as needed, but nothing elaborate. She pretty much needs a basic machine that does the standard stitches, but not for quilting, etc. I will visit my local sewing machine store this week - there's only one left locally, so I won't have to make any tough decisions on which store to go to.

I have mixed feelings about machines made in Asia (not limited to sewing machines). I suppose as long as they are being made to the branded company's specs, and there is plenty of oversight as to quality, that's fine. Many companies move production over there without lowering their prices to boost their profits, however, so you end up with high priced merchandise of suspect quality. I suspect that many of the machines sold at places like Walmart are junk that the parent company has lent their brand to with zero oversight. I just need to be able to tell what is the difference on a specific machine.

ask your dealer about the warranty on any machine you are interested in - ask if the dealer repairs that brand machine in house or do they send it 'out' for repairs? Also, what brand do they see most often for repairs? My dealer has a factory trained Viking person in house and their (Viking) warranty is outstanding however I do believe their "Husky" brands are made in Asia.

Carolyn