I have a maltese, Lexie (in my avatar), that is almost 13 and she is the furkid love of my life. There are no different classes of maltese, they are a small breed 4-7 lbs. normally (mine is 6.5).
There is lots of great information on this forum as well as information about rescues and reputable breeders
http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/ . Please do your research first and avoid internet scams & puppy mills like the plague.
I, for one, will always have a maltese in my life. They can be a little maintenance intesive for one who is not used to grooming long coated dogs, but I do all my own grooming for both of mine (self taught by trial and LOTS error, lol). Bath every 2 weeks with nail trim, coat trim once a month (I keep her pretty short now, 'cause bath time is a little difficult with aging pups), thorough coat & tooth brushing daily. Good luck with your search!