I agree that if you want bells & whistles, you should look at trade-ins at a dealer. I bought a nice used Pfaff for $300 or $400 that has lots of stitches, low bobbin indicator, 2 alphabets, and the Pfaff IDT. If you only want to piece quilts, find a nice vintage machine for $50 - $100 and spend the rest of your budget on fabric and threads. Let us know what you decide.
Darren