so, I'm intrigued at the thought of buying a longarm
 

and will be at the Lancaster quilt show tomorrow. What should I look at, and what questions should I ask?

I figure that if I remain afraid of it I'll never move on, and my daughter seems to be doing ok with just a cheapie regular machine doing FMQ, so let the quilting begin......

Try them out, see what feels good to you. Have an idea of your budget before you walk in the door. Don't be afraid, look at it like drawing on the fabric while driving the head ontop of the quilt, instead of shoving it under the needle. Do you prefer sit down or stand up quilting? Do you have medical issues where hand cranking would be an issue, or do you need the hydraulics? Go and have fun and keep test driving!

It took me three years to make a decision before I purchased - price, ease of use, and availability of local repair person and support were at the top of my list.

Going to a big show where you can test many brands on the same day is a great way to start.Some machines are old style-meaning you have to oil them-others are new style-like our home machines and do not need to be oiled-my preference is these.All long arms need the hook oiled after bobbin changes.Feel how easy they are to move-varies from makers.will it take the larger bobbin-some do not.How good is the warranty?how good is tech support-very important.We test drove many and ended up with the Innova and love it.they are many beginners learning curves and Innova has 24-7 tech support always-and they are very nice even on a holiday.Price is important-but you get what you pay for also.good luck on your search and have fun trying them all-some vibrate way more than others when quilting also-a problem for me.

Test all the machines they have, you will love them.

All of the above, test, test and test. If you get serious about one don't do just a quick test - really spend time on it

I don't have a lot of space in my house AND I can't stand for long periods due to a back injury so I bought a sit-down machine (HQ Sweet 16). Have not regretted the purchase one second. Test-test-test. I'd check things like maintenance, bobbin load, stitch regulator, how does it work with rulers, how does it handle different threads.......

That's what I bought too. Love it.

i have an innova love it and great service .....good luck ...i went to paducha and tested all them twice some 3 times ..

You might also practice loading a quilt. That is trickier than I thought it would be. Other than that (and the other advice you have gotten here), test drive and enjoy the process.

Dina