Personally I eschewed a machine for a set of good adjustable dumbbells and a bench and I don’t regret it at all. I don’t like machines because they allow you to cheat with bad form and that leads to joint injuries. I found that I can use significantly less weight with free weights as compared to a machine, and while that’s not as good for the ego, it’s better for my joints. Lifting weights has turned into a more yoga like mindful execution of movement rather than a grunty maximum exertion of force since I switched, and I really like it. It’s challenging to do legs, but I’ve got a bad knee and I can still do enough with my two 5-80 dumbbells to feel it the next day.