NewbieToQuilting,
I am admittedly prejudiced against the new machines.
I have a number of reasons to include:
Plastic gears,
plastic internal control parts,
plastic internal cam stacks,
plastic external body shells,
stamped metal internal parts,
lightweight aluminum or pot metal skeleton,
no maintenance type design (read that programed obsolescence),
not enough room under the arch,
little hand room around the needle bar ( some new machines have so little room I cannot change the needles - my hands will not fit under there),
visibility interference by the bulbous plastic body,
insufficient weight to keep the machine steady.
Were I to start quilting (and I have) I would look for an older Singer such as the 201 or 15 or 66 ( with back tack ) or 401 or those mentioned above. So far I've built three quilted sewing machine covers and have used two model 66 treadles and my 201. You don't need a new machine for quilting. As my wife just added, "you can buy an older machine with all it's attachments and accessories for a fraction of what a new machine will cost, and they'll last 10 times longer".
Do not waste hundreds or thousands of dollars on a new plastic wannabee machine when you can get a better older metal one.
Just my humble opinion.
Joe