What is your budget? How serious are you? How big are the items you want to make? I strongly recommend going to a dealer and getting some insight as to what the machines can do and at what price (needle up/needle down is an important feature). My friend strongly advised not underbuying as you might outgrow a machine quickly. I started with a Janome Decor 5060 and it is a wonderful machine. When I tried to quilt a full size quilt on it I ran into problems because the throat was small (distance from machine to the needle). That's why having an idea of what you want to make is so important. I wound up buying a Janome 6600 and it's a fine machine.
Please visit a dealer and learn before you buy. Make sure the dealer is going to provide you with some instruction and support. Janomes are workhorses. I've seen new Janome 6500 for $1100 on the internet. If you have a Janome dealer near you, visit and see if they have one in stock. I highly recommend Janome. Good Luck.