Long arm question
Folks, I would like to get some words of wisdom from those of you who have a quilting machine (long arm or other). My daughter and I piece a lot of quilts and we are constantly paying to have them quilted. We have some hand quilted and some done my machine. We spend a fortune on quilting. I have tried to learn to do free motion on my machine but I haven't had much luck. I have quilted several small projects using SITD and straight lines. I have been interested in getting a long arm for some time so I could finish my own projects. I am not sure I would want to quilt for others unless it was just family and friends. I am not thinking of using it to start a quilting business. I have lots of questions. I know that the machines vary in price a LOT. I would not want, nor could I afford anything state of the art and top of the line. Again, this would be used for quilting mainly my own stuff. I know there are a lot of variables to consider, but I don't really even know where/ how to start looking. I would greatly appreciate any advice! I know they take up lots of space, but I have a room I could devote to it. I have listed some of my questions:
What (ballpark) you get a decent user-friendly machine for?
What brand/ type would you suggest to meet my needs?
Are they sold used or reconditioned very often?
How difficult is it to learn to use them?
I was thinking that I might try to find someone who would let me come and watch them quilt, so that I could get a feel for it. I tried a couple of machines at the Paducah quilt show, but I left when the sales pitch started because I was not serious about getting one at the time. Thanks in advance for any help!