I bought my Viking Scandinavia 400 on Ebay for $500. It was brand new in the box. I love it. However, it isn't the kind that you can attach to your computer and download things. You have to have a card to insert in the side.
It does come with 2 cards and you can buy more cards on Ebay as money allows.
If you want you can also invest in a "card reader" and buy programmable cards. Then you can download items from your computer to the card which then goes into your machine.
If you keep your eyes open and don't jump into anything hastily, there are machines out there that you can get started with for a reasonable price. Just be aware that as time goes on you will want to invest more into supplies like additional cards, etc., as money allows.
Hope this helps.