There are no perfect machines out there and it would be hard to get all of the features you want in your price range. I'd recommend shopping for a used higher end machine. I recently picked up a Husqvarna Viking #1+ for $200 on Kijiji (Canadian version of Craig's List). This machine had originally sold for $3600 and had been sitting in a closet for at least ten years with many of the embroidery components still in the original sealed cartons. It had extra cards and plates and hoops galore. I'm playing with it, getting to know it and loving it. It sews rings around my Janome 6500 which cost me $2100 new in 2004.