Good advice from the members here. The "secret" is the dealer -- if you find a good dealer and let him/her know what your situation is, I bet they will advise you well and let you "test drive" the machines. They might also be on the lookout for a really nice used machine for you once you get to know them. If you get a good solid basic machine, you will keep it forever even though you might get something "fancy" later on.