Personally I would stay away from anything from a big store like WalMart or KMart or even Joannes. One you will not get the service you need. I would go to a sewing and vacuum shop. Most of them have trade ins that they can sell you for cheap. Most of them also have techs on site to fix any problem you might run into and they usually make sure the trade ins are in great shape before letting them go out their door. They want you to come back and buy the big machine when you are ready. Also try to get either a Janome or Bernina, if you can. You will not be sorry. Also insist on a needle drop aspect for your machine. It makes a huge difference when you are working on quilts.