I just bought a Bernina 440 QE in September. Things to consider - I NEEDED a dealer close by. I have vision damage and some things I simply can't do because I can't see. I would have been happy with Huskvarna or maybe even Pfaff, but no local dealers. I was choosing between a Janome (roughly $1,400) and a Bernina. The Bernina won out because of a special in financing as well as closeout pricing. What do you need to do? I think the embroidery features are cool, but it wasn't a feature I NEEDED. In addition, it simply isn't practical for me to have my computer attached to my sewing machine (newer ones will use a flashdrive, which solves that problem).
I totally love the Bernina Stitch Regulator (BSR) for quilting, but again, if not for the special pricing and financing, I would have probably been just as happy with the Janome. Just having that extra 2-3 inches between needle and motor housing made quilting so much more pleasant. Also, the Mastercraft 5200 has a wider zig zag (7 mm) than my Bernina (5 mm) - something that is important for some quilting techniques. The Berninas with embroidery do have wider zig zag (9 mm).
Finally, talk to folks who fix machines. They can tell you the duds as well as cost estimates to fix things. I thought those computer boards would be uber expensive to replace, but apparently anywhere from $100-300 depending on your machine. If you have a mechanical machine, you can actually do most repairs and maintenance yourself.
A very simple Bernina is the Bernette and I actually thought of getting one of those for a class machine since it is so much lighter than my Bernina.