I'm sorry for your loss.
In part, I would base my decision on dealer support and trade policy. Will they provide ongoing lessons? What if you get the machine with and decide it's not for you - can you trade to another machine without significant loss of what you paid for the embroidery?
Do you know anyone who has an embroidery machine that you could spend some time with? So that you could watch and maybe, with assistance do, some embroidery? That way you could see what actually goes into a piece being done.
Luckily, I know that embroidery doesn't interest me - I don't like how it looks or how stiff it is in finished products. A friend thought she wanted it, bought a machine and after two years of frustration, including several months waiting for a part for a needed repair (that's probably not the norm, it was a Pfaff), finally sold it.
My first Bernina, a Virtuosa 153QE, was purchased with money I received after my father passed away. That was almost 20 years ago and I love it as much today as I did the day it came home. Well, probably more.