I'd really recommend that you try one someplace before you buy. I have always thought that I'd love a long arm system but after spending a day with my friend Chris on her Gammill and spending several days on a midarm setup at my local LQS, I decided that I really didn't like it nearly as much as I thought. Now I really appreciate even more what longarmers do and why they charge what they do. It was time consuming and a lot of work to get everything loaded and ready to go. The actual quilting was ok but not something that I would want to do everyday or as my new business. My LQS rents out their room with the midarm for $50 a day. My friend and I rent it once in a while, help each other and can finish a quilt for each of us in a day (if it's not king sized). I'd do more "homework" before you spend all that money.