I think you guys completely missed my point, at no stage did I suggest that machines can't achieve a goal in body building, by the same token they are NOT necessary, you can body build just fine without any machines.
If you were to set up a home gym with specific machines for each muscle group, it would cost you 20-30K in equipment not counting the massive building you would need to house all the machines. While you can achieve the exact same end result with about $1-2 K's worth of plates, bars, bench and rack, that will fit in the spare bedroom or half your garage.