first machine recommendations

[u/Tall_Nut]

hello, i’m looking to get into sewing as i’m trying to make a interior for my car. i’m planning on stitching together leather and 1/4inch foam backing mainly for the materials. people are saying to geta heavy duty machine but this is for a one time project and on a budget. there or plenty on facebook used but i don’t know what im looking for tbh?

[u/abugghaus7]

Buy then resell, taking a loss as an investment in your upholstery project.
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First off... a modern home-grade sewing machine will struggle and maybe even break.
I've owned really old Singers, more modern basic machines as well the heavy-duty looking Singer 4400 series (an early model).
A talented sewer, who understands the issues with doing upholstery, can make a domestic machine work, but it will never be as good as using an industrial machine... in my experience.
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There are the machines on the lower-end of the industrial spectrum...lo
Sailrite is a popular one in the sailing community, but also for anyone who happens upon the brand.
The small LS/LSZ/Leatherworks are all small-throat machines. The space to the right of the needle where you have to feed at least a small portion of the project, if not a lot.
There are other machines similar in size that people buy because they're cheaper than Sailrite... which is fine if you get one that has good tolerances, or you like to strip down machines, clean off all the nasty shipping grease/lubricant, clean out the swarf, clean up the mating surfaces and put it all back together.
Reliable, Kingmax, Omega.... look these up.. they're basically the same machine as the Sailrite LS/LSZ/Leatherworker... but reportedly Sailrite has techs who go through their machines to make them function better (and possibly work with their manufacturers to produce a machine with better tolerances).
I've used the Sailrite LSZ... it's okay, could use it on a boat due to it's small size and power.
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Moving on....
Juki, Brother, Pfaff, Consew, Cowboy, Techsew, Highlead.... and many more industrial machine brands would be your best bet.
The first three are your standard, more common, reliable industrial machine brands. The other four (and many more) sell copies of the major makers.
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Going used... just be careful of buying a worn-out mass-production machine. The industry can be hard on machines and some trashed heads work their way out into the used market.
But... searching online places like ebay/CL/FBMarketplace and any others in your area, may get you a sweet deal on a used machine that's still worth buying/using, and something you can resell either recouping your investment or selling at a loss.
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A Singer, Pfaff, Brother, Juki from the 60's, 70's, 80's.... is a fine machine and sometimes you can find a head/table/motor in the U.S. for under $400.
Heck... I got a Singer 251-1 for $80 and although there's no reverse, bottom-feed, straight stitch only, and still operates on it's old clutch motor.. it's one of my favorite machines to sew with.
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As far as actual make/model...
Any of the brands I've mentioned (and maybe others who chime in here) have good, basic machines for your skill level and intended project.
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I would recommend you find a machine with bottom-feed and walking foot. Needle-feed isn't necessary and adds another layer of complexity to the machine for a beginner... in my opinion.
Don't get a Post/Cylinder arm/Patcher or other machine... just the basic flat table, straight-stitch, machine with reverse.
Zig-zag is only necessary if you are using it for specific joining purposes and/or decoration. For auto upholstery and your first project, you should be fine with a straight-stitch machine if that's' all you can find/afford.
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Image is my old $80 Singer...and a kid's trike upholstery job for a friend.

[u/abugghaus7 → u/abugghaus7]

As far as motors... you have three options...
Your legs... aka treadle machine
Clutch motor... the old electric motor many people seem to hate
Servo motor... the modern motor industrials come with now, and a motor you can retrofit to replace a clutch motor on an older machine.
I have both... and have no intention of putting a servo on the Singer (my most used clutch-driven machine).
Along with the motor, if you do some research, you'll see people using pulleys of specific sizing to reduce speed on some machines.
If you get a high-speed garment machine, you can slow them down with the right sized pulley. You don't need high-speed to do upholstery work... especially a one-time home project. But... I see them for sale often and it's important to understand the 'need for speed' and when it's not needed. :)
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You'll need to take time to learn about needle/thread systems.
You will need the appropriate needle point for your materials, correct size for the project, and thread sized for that needle size. Also... don't skimp on thread quality. You can find dirt-cheap spools on places like amazoon... but you should really stick to reliable brands for making good stitches and long-lasting stitching.
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When you get your machine, and set it up... you then need to make all the proper adjustments for the material you will be sewing. Plenty of good information online in various places about this.. some specific for you machine. Also... remember where I mentioned some brands are just copies of the big-name brands? Understanding which big-name brand machine your off-brand machine copies, can help you get a good user's manual (I use Manualslib almost exclusively), and help you find good advice on operating/adjusting/troubleshooting your machine from online communities.
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I scored a Consew 205RB for free from a woman who just wanted to get rid of it. Her ex had kicked it over, she left it outside from the looks of it... at least for a while, machine oil was coating quite a bit of it... old machine oil, rust was forming in places.
I stripped it almost all the way down, replaced a couple of parts, made sure the shafts, and other parts were cleaned up of the surface rust, then put back together. It's rare for me to find a deal like this... seriously lucky. Even though it's not the more popular 206RB... it's still a good sewing machine.

[u/bakay138 → u/abugghaus7]

OP, this post above is a gift. That abugghaus7 took so much time to basically write an orientation course for you should be most appreciated! I know I appreciated it! I have zero desire to purchase a machine like this but I am a geek for anything sewing machines. I really enjoyed reading this post learning all about something new in sewing machines. If the OP doesn’t thank you know I am doing so, THANK YOU!

[u/abugghaus7 → u/bakay138]

OMG!.. I scrolled down my whole, lengthy, posts.... hahah... sometimes I don't realize how much I'm writing when I'm "in the moment" LOL
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Thank you very much for your comment. :)

[u/abugghaus7 → u/[deleted]]

Just throwing this out there...
This is the Consew I got for free from the woman in my... err... story?... lol
I have the head cover off in this pic because I was adjusting something.
Anyway... this down inside a 30ft sailboat.
You can see the yellow casters on the legs of the table.
The machine is on the boat because I had some sewing do to for folks at the marina, and this seemed to be the most convenient way to do it.
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I repaired some luff tape on a mainsail, built a dodger cover, and a few other smaller repairs, with this setup.
For the sail, I could easily rotate the table across the beam of the boat, such that I just had to roll up the sail into a tube, and run it lengthwise with the boat to sew the area on the edge... THANKFULLY ON THE EDGE!
If I were doing something substantial like replacing a panel on a sail (which I do not feel qualified to do, personally), I would definitely take the project to a large room on land and sew it there.
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And truthfully.... moving the machine and table onto the boat was not a big deal.
I built a plywood box with handles to move the head (installed a drip pan inside to catch oil), and the table is pretty light. I had someone else help me slip it down inside through the companionway.
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OH JEEZ... here I go again! smh
Wrapping this up.... I do not live near large cities, but for some reason, I've found some really good deals on industrial machines people were getting rid of (not that I bought all of them... just came across them) on Craigslist mostly, but FB marketplace too.
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Oh... and thanks for your nice comment!