momto5

Wishful thinking...
Are you in the Upstate, Midlands, or Low Country?

wishfulthinking

Oops! Guess I need to update. I've moved & live in Tennessee now. Did you have a good dealer in SC?

JustAbitCrazy

Since you don't like the old cumrudgeon, and since the new dealer seems to be taking over shortly, I think I would definitely wait to buy from the new lady (if you can stand to wait!). I think the patience would pay off. There would be no issue about servicing then. She seems like a more likable person than the cumrudgeon, and you may even get a sweeter deal from her. It would be best to establish a working relationship with her right from the start, I think, rather than have her "inherit" you as a customer. Good luck to you!.

wishfulthinking

Thanks JustAbitCrazy. I may well do that. It's hard to wait, but I've been waiting for quite a while already. Hubby & & are going to Nashville today and I'm gonna check a couple of places there for price comparison.

Amythyst02

Finding the right dealer is just as important as finding that perfect sewing machine. If you do not like the dealer, I would definately wait for the new store to open and purchase from them. Have fun looking at machines today. Have you made your list of the most desired options you want your new machine to have? I took my little checklist with me every where I went, and I also took fabric from what I was working on to test. I happened to be sewing a rag quilt at the time, and my machine would not even raise the foot high enough to get 6 layers of flannel under it to sew the blocks together. Have fun, and keep us posted !

Cool AZ quilter

I take my machine 90 miles to get serviced and/or repaired. I live in rural AZ. There are 3-4 people locally who service machines. However, I haven't heard anything good about any of them. The one 90 miles from here, if I call the beginning of the week and tell him I need my machine serviced he tells me what day is good to bring it in. And he does it all in one day as he knows I live quite far away. That's customer service. I also get to go to several quilt shops while I'm there waiting on my machine.

Wintersewer

Those prices are excellent. I could not find any deals like that here in Central NY. I ended up driving way up north just across the river from Canada to get my 6600 for $1500 (no extras). The local dealer would not budge from $1650 (no extras) and shouted at me for even asking. The heck with him!!


[QUOTE=wishfulthinking;4958983]Just got back from my test runs. Still love the Janome 6600. I also liked the Horizon, but maybe not as well as the 6600, except for the throat space, of course. The 6600 is $1299 and the Horizon is $1999 and I don't think there is $700 difference. The owner won't budge on price and won't throw in anything to sweeten the deal, I don't think. He's an old curmudgeon and I don't much care for him. There's one year free service and he would

tjradj

Wow, every town must have a carmudgeon like that. Our Janome dealer in town has two stores, so it doesn't matter which one you go to, you deal with the same guy. I don't want to say he's a crook, but he does have some questionable business practises.
Recently he sold a friend of mine a Horizon that was supposed to be "new." It didn't have a box, the acrylic table was scuffed and had a footprint on it, etc, etc. She called him and was told that it was Janome's policy that all machines had to be taken out of the box for inspection. She called Janome, and there is no such policy.
She then took her husband along to return that machine and demand a new one. Her new one came in a box with all the additions in pristine condition. But, she'll still have to deal with him for service.
When I originally bought my 6260, I had some problems with it and had to bring it in several times before he had it fixed. Each time he gave me a "loaner" while mine was in the shop. I eventually lost track of which was my machine and which was the shop loaner, but the one I kept has been a really good machine. I bought my Horizon from this same guy when they first came out. Thankfully, I dealt with his sales clerk and not him. But I'm hearing more and more horror stories about him. He even has a listing on the BBB's bad list now.
I've decided for me, it's worth it to take my machines to a different dealer even if I have to pay a bit extra for peace of mind.

seamstome

1299 and 1999 is about right.

wishfulthinking

Just got home. Didn't find any better prices. But I did find a different machine, a Baby Lock Symphony. Oh my goodness. I loved it! Of course, they want $2,100 cash for the floor model and $2,000 was my limit that I didn't even want to get to. So, now I'm off to research Baby Locks. Anybody got one? Pros & cons?