One thing I have always liked about the Viking Galleries at Jo-Anns is their trade-in policy - I think it is 100% if you trade-up within a year. This might allow you to start out with a lower level machine to find out if you really enjoy sewing, and yet be able to trade up with no loss if you find out that you would like a more complex machine later on.
Possibly, the other dealer might offer something similar, but try to get it in writing if you can.