Go to more than one sewing machine dealership to try out machines in your price range. You may be surprised to find that you "bond" with one brand more than the others.
If you can, try out Janome, Bernina and Pfaff brands; they are three of the top brands right now.
Also ask at a dealership if they have used machines in these brands in your price range. You get more "bang" for the buck with a used machine; some people trade up every year, similar to cars.
Instead of going for a machine that can both sew and embroider, I would get one machine dedicated to sewing and another machine for embroidery. Embroidery takes time to sew out; with two machines you can still be piecing while one machine works for you on embroidery.
I would add that, for me, the sound of the machine is important. My Bernina purrs when I sew. Loud machines and clunky machines are annoying to me. However, YMMV!