Again, I would second the recommendation to look for a solid, older machine. The newer Singers and the ilk available from Walmart are shoddily built and the tension won't hold over the long term. I learned to sew at age 7 on my grandfather's Singer treadle - yes, it was he, and not my grandmother who did the sewing.
When I came over to the US from the UK in 1991, I brought my German built Pfaff Creative with me, and I hook it up to a step up converter to run on US power. I love the continual feed function which is great for fabrics that tend to creep during sewing, and for keeping stripes matched. It has some simple electronics, but touch wood they are still going strong.
I also bought a new Viking Husqvarna Sapphire a couple of years ago which I wanted for the bigger harp space for sewing larger projects. I like it and it sews a bit faster than the Pfaff, but it can be a bit tetchy sometimes with needle or thread choices and the self cutting feature can be a bit hit or miss. I have a goal to sew all my own clothes - I have about a 30% me made wardrobe right now, including underwear and lounge clothes. Jeans are going to be the next project. This is mostly because I don't like buying sweat shop clothes that have traveled half way round the globe, and that fall apart after a couple of months.
Edited to add: I tightened a screw under the throat plate of the Husqvarna and now it is sewing and thread trimming great again.