I'm looking for a longarm machine also. I've been researching for months - you might want to look at the Juki and the Homesteader. The Juki has a 9 inch throat and the Homesteader has a choice of 17 or 22 inch throats. Both are moderately priced. There are yahoo chat groups for longarm quilters and Homesteader owners - probably have them for the other machines also. I got lots of good info there.