If you're mechanically inclined, buy a used Kirby. They still offer every part to rebuild one. I bought a Diamond Edition off Craigslist for $80 and basically rebuilt the whole thing for under $175. My wife has a Dyson Animal that can't pick the dirt up like the Kirby. It literally sucks the carpet up into the brushes. The transmission makes up for the heft of this thing while vacuuming. It's a tank.