Malarky. All you need is a machine that will sew the way you want. People were doing extreme stuff - embroidery, lace on the first electric singers! If you sew everything besides quilting, get a good machine that will sew everything from jeans to silk. There are featherweight users that will use nothing else for quilting, and by today's standards, the featherweight is primitive. (It's mechanical rather than electronic)
I've demoed cutwork, couching, pintucks, cording, and some freemotion embroidery on a plain zig-zag only mechanical machine. If you go back to the Pfaff, some of the lower priced models have IDT which works well. You use that instead of a walking foot. The one advantage to the IDT, is that most feet work with it. I can use the SID foot, 1/4 inch foot, open toe, you name it. Some disagree, but I prefer an vertical bobbin. I've used the 2144 Pfaff for those templates for borders. Used triple stitch and kept the IDT down.
Those that really like walking feet can make a case for those. You will need to find whatever suits you best.