I have to agree with Bubblegum. Buying a cheaper 'good' machine, such as a Janome is well worth the money. If you don't need all the bells and whistles on a machine, you may even find a better deal.
There is a website that I visited quite a bit when I was in the market for a new machine. It is called 'Pattern Review'. It not only reviews tons of patterns, it also reviews sewing machines...LOTS of them!!! And the website isn't the only one doing the reviews. Ladies who have bought machines review also.
http://patternreview.com. I hope this helps. :-)