Yes, it is true...and the longarm is just the beginning. Then there are the accessories such as pantographs, pattern boards, thread and more thread, needles, etc. I understand the new Innova is around 10K. There are some cheaper, made for use at home, type set ups, such as the HQ16 and they have made many folks happy. I have the A-1 Elite and although the machine has a 23" throat area, it is a very simple machine...it just sews, no reverse, no cutter, etc. The expensive part of the set up is the table...12 feet long, three solid steel poles, etc. The table is very important because that is what keeps the quilts square while quilting it and will hold the weight of a big, king-size quilt. I started out with the Viking Mega Quilter on the Inspira frame, and I became very frustrated because the poles were weak, and once I had quilting about 2 feet of the quilt, due to the roll that produces, I only had about 5 inches of quilting space, and of course the further you go, the less you have due to the roll of the quilt. Definitely put the cobash on my artistic ideas, which is why I purchased the A-1. Truth be told, though...I liked the Viking Mega Quilter machine better than the A-1 because it had a thread cutter that cut both top and bottom threads at the flick of a switch, now I have pull the thread up and snip both top and bottom thread while leaning way over that massive table. My suggestion is to go and try out all kinds. Check for noise of machine, smoothness of the tracks, sturdiness of the table. If I were to purchase again, I would lean towards the Nolting Professional 23" machine. I test drove it at a quilt show and I was very impressed. Just my personal opinions here. I would not trade my A-1 unless there was a serious defect, and there is not, I have quilting hundreds of customer quilts on it and it has never let me down. It is easy to fix yourself, which is important since the head weighs 75 pounds and you have to take the table apart to get the machine off. I keep her well greased and oiled and she will run happily for many years to come. But yes, I could have purchased a car for the price of my table and machine...and a luxury car if you add up all the accessories I have added since.