I had done some FMQ work on my Bernina 440 with a stitch regulator, but it was just so hard to maneuver the quilt that I looked for something else. I would have had trouble fitting a LA into my sewing area, but it could have been squeezed in. I tried out long arms at the Nolting factory (which is very close to my home). They were very helpful, but I found out that I just don't like pushing the machine around. I ended up buying a Sweet 16 sitdown, and it is perfect for me. I have a personal preference for holding the fabric instead of the machine, so sitdown quilting just feels good to me. The large throat space of the Sweet 16 makes doing larger items soooo much easier. It doesn't have a stitch regulator, but I learned to manage without it.
If I had bought a LA, I would have gotten the Nolting. Quality products with great service and machines without frills. They did have a sitdown machine in their lineup, and they were even willing to build one up for me to try but there is more interent support for the 16. I ended up buying it at one of the LQS.
I do think that the price issue gets in the way of many people. Women have a tendency to sell our hobbies and interests short. I know lots of men with thousands and thousands of dollars in tools or boats or guns (just to mention a few types of hobbies) whose wives think they have to justify every penny they spend on their own hobbies. To steal a line for L'Oreal: You're worth it!
Pam