here is another thing to consider. The repair men that are contracted to quilt shops, where will they go when those shops close down?
In this economy the "quilt" shop is a dieing entity as well!
So if you buy a machine at a quilt shop make sure you know where the repair man will be if/when that shop closes!
All fancy things we love on those machines will mean naught if some goes amiss and there is no repair man to fix them!