Dread,

I don't know anything about your specific machine but your last comment made me say something.

If people say the machine is noisy and rattles I would immediatly look elsewhere. One factor of any machine is vibration control. High vibration leads to excess wear and failure.

My Pfaffs are all over 30 years old. Each runs smooth and vibration free. And each is still in daily use.

Now some machines are called thumpers. But they run at very slow speeds and have a lot of weight of metal moving. Most of these are very heavy duty machines like those used to sew saddles and harnesses. The mass of moving metal is needed to drive a needle thru 1 1/2" of solid leather.

The reason that a good quality machine cost so much is because "you get what you pay for" and they are proven over the years to do the job they were designed for and to last for years.
And in the long run are very inexpensive to operate.

A craftsman is only as good as his tools. Buy the best you can possibly afford.