I went through this a few months ago and boy do I feel for you. Soooo much info out there and so many different machines it gets soooo confusing. I didn't check out the Bernina because the dealer I called didn't have time to discuss any machines. I didn't feel I would get very good service there, so I went to Viking and Janome.
Viking has some beautiful machines but are $$$$$. Wonderful features. They also have trade-ins that were OK priced. If I would have had the disposal $$$$$ then I probably would have purchased one of these without going to anywhere else. That wasn't the case so I continued on.
Janome also has wonderful machines. Very well built!!! No plastic at all, ball-bearings. Hubby loved this fact since he's a mfg. eng. and knew how long it would last. I made him go with me to check out the mechanicals and ask those kind of questions. I actually ended up purchasing the 6600P which has just been delicious!!! Wonderfully easy machine to use. With the new Horizon, a lot of individuals have been upgrading so you'll probably get a good deal on one of these. I paid $1049 for mine and has actually been worth every penny. Would recommend highly.
My other machine I have I've had for 17 yrs and purchased it just to make clothes and home decor. I never thought about quilting. Used it to piece and to do some machine quilting, but because the throat was so small it was very limiting. Luckily I love hand work so I learned how to hand quilt.
The only piece of advice I can actually give is, get as much as you can afford. Give yourself room to grow. It'll be cheaper now than in the future.
Good Luck!!!! :-D :-D