I too would recommend a quality used machine. But do get it from a dealer that will give you some warrenty on the machine. People upgrade all the time and prefectly good machines can be had for fractions of the cost of new.
Do note a word of caution.. getting more machine than what you are comfortable with is not always the best choice... some machine can be very overwhelming to a relatively new quilter. I taught a woman who bought a very expensive machine , she really was confused by all the functions and settings the machine had .. and clearly was afraid of breaking it.. so her reluctance to "use" the screen and change anything was limiting her enjoyment.