Originally Posted by Prism99
There's lots of info on the homequiltingsystems group at
http://groups.yahoo.com . A lot of the quilters there have longarms for their hobby.
There are lots of yahoo groups and manufacturer site groups on the net. Get all the info you can, read a lot and find sources to try out each brand. You can google each brand, look for reviews, become familuar with the different functions (stitch regulater etc.) and decide which are important to you. Try any that you can, every machine has a different feel. Educate yourself before you buy, this will be a big investment.
I do have a Tin Lizzie and use it only for my quilts and a few of my neighbors. I bought mine second hand, it was about half what a new one cost at the time. Used machines are often listed on manufacturers sites, people trade up.