my teenage daughter has been sewing with a Bernina machine at school, and loving it, so she asked for a machine of her own for her upcoming birthday
We went to local sewing machine shop (they sell Brother, Janome and Bernina) and were quickly guided to the Brother A16, which seems like a decent machine (for 1/3 of the cost of a Bernina!)
Another shop, not so close, sells Pfaff and Husqvarna. But we haven't gone because its further away and I don't know if we will see anything better there for similar money (c£350)
On a related question, some machines are advertised as embroidery machines, others sewing machines. The A16 can have an embroidery foot added, but it is a sewing machine first, so what exactly does that foot allow you to do?
FWIW this will be initially used for projects and clothes, but it might be fun to try other things