Did you talk to your Janome dealer about trading in your little Janome on a larger gently used Janome? Some dealers not too far from me have several brands of machines. If you could find one near you, you could really get a feel for what is out there, and perhaps strike up a trade in deal. Also, overstock.com sometimes has great deal on refurbished machines with full warranties. That is where I got my little Brother CE4000 and it is a great little machine.
Edited to add: Opps :oops: , sorry, didn't see you had already decided on the Singer. It looks like a nice sturdy machine and it does have nice throat space. Have a great time with it!