I have seen a singer basic 8208 maschine at half price.I always wanted to buy a sewing machine but wouldnt want to spend too much, so wondering if any of you have had experience with this model and would you recommend buyng it?
(I need the maschine for basic stuff and alterations).

My only advice would be to buy one that has the a front loading bobbin instead of a drop-in one. Although online they say the 'drop in' one is easier to load, you can't change the bobbin without taking the fabric out...drives me nuts...my mum had an old Janome that was front loading and it ran really well...

I have a 'drop-in' one and it gets tangled all the time.

thanks for the tip...i will check out if that one has the drop in function. But as far as I know most of them don't.

If you're looking for a decent, cheap sewing machine...

I just recently bought the SY machine from Ikea for about 80 CHF (after reading the good reviews it's received), and I must say -- it's a nice little machine. It also has a front-loading bobbin. It comes with quite a few notions, including a button-hole maker and is even good for thick fabrics, etc.

Now my curtains are finally hemmed without having to use that awful hemming tape! Woo hoo! I even made myself a handy-dandy pin cushion with it.

Carrie,
thank you so much for the post.
Looks like i am gonna make a quick trip to Ikea this weekend....