The best place to start is probably a sewing machine store. Many of them have very decent used machines at decent prices. While you could buy a good machine at a garage sale, they might need some maintenance work done; the swing store would probably have it in good working order. Please don’t buy any of the Walmart machines. There are many complaints of the plastic parts failing. Couple of years back there were a few low priced Janome machines through Overstock had some decent reviews, but I haven’t seen anything recent about them. Working on a crummy machine is very frustrating.

I agree. Many sewing machine stores take machines as trade-ins. They recondition them and sell them. My first sewing machine was one I got this way years ago and it lasted until I wore it out years later and I did a lot of sewing with it. It's worth to me was triple what it cost me.

Chiming in to agree with the above answers. Go to a sewing or locally owned quilt shop. Especially this time of year, there are a number of reasonably priced trade-ins. They have typically given the machine a thorough cleaning, and tested it to ensure it is in good working order. Some shops sometimes provide you with at least one 'get to know your machine' sewing lesson as part of the purchase price. From personal experience, I bought my serger secondhand from a quilt shop. Lessons were $20, and well worth it. I bought a Bernina via craigslist, and while a good machine, the local Bernina shop priced lessons at $300 for 3 classes, because I didn't purchase a used machine from them. No hard feelings...they're in business to make money. Just something to think about. IMO, you'll get better customer service, if you buy even a used machine from a local shop.