The price is going to depend on the deal you can make with your local dealers. They have
some leeway on the price, and sometimes the manufacturer allows extra sales or discounts. Your best bet there is to just go in and start negotiating! If you can find an expo or show where they're selling the machines, sometimes there are extra discounts to be had there (but not always). Call around to dealers that are close or close-ish to you and ask their prices - you might be able to play one dealer off of another to get the best deal.
As for the machine itself, I have had mine for around 4 years now, and I use it at least a few hours every weekend (and a lot more when I'm off work) and it's a wonderful machine. I looked into upgrading it to a bigger/fancier Janome a couple years ago and after doing a bunch of test-drives I decided I liked the 6600 the best! It's a great machine, I've had zero troubles with it, not even after I let my 8 year old niece play with it. It's a real workhorse. The built-in walking foot is a great feature. And it's a good machine for FMQ; I barely have to change my settings and I haven't ever bothered to buy the FMQ bobbin case - don't need it. Mine is not picky about thread or needles but
is fussy about the bobbins - it tends to make knots if I don't use Janome-brand bobbins. That's the only "finicky" thing about it.
If mine were to get stolen or perish in a fire, I'd buy another one just like it.
