I managed to miss the "cheap plastic" era, when it comes to machines. Way back when I was first married, my mother gave me an ancient old singer. I made a few things on it, but in hindsight it needed a service, and was prone to jams and causing lots of frustration. So for our first wedding anniversary, hubby bought me a Phaff workhorse ...... she got me through a massive amount of sewing, and never let me down. I gave one of my spare machines to a friend, rather than watching her fight a cheap brother that was a piece of sh*&.
I often wonder how many people start this hobby, and give up, because the machines are just rubbish.