I just bought the brother NX630 last year. It has all you asked for plus 3 alphabets, and gazillions of stitches. I know you don't want all that, but it is a real work-horse. I spent just under $1,000 for it, but I got the fancy one. You could get a less fancy one, in your budget, and be very happy with it. Brothers are durable, long lasting, and I've never sent one in to be fixed. Just did not need to. Well made. I have used many different machines and Brother comes out the winner each time. When I went shopping for "Pearl" I had a budget of $3,000, and found all I wanted for under $1,000. You can't beat it. I did not even know they had self threading machines! Go to your nearest Brother dealer and look around. Spend some time shopping, make sure you get just what you want. Sales pitches do not make quilts, you do. Have fun.