I bought a used Nolting 24 inch and love it. I would say go with the largest throat size you can afford, and a stitch regulator. When it comes to quilting, I started out doing pantographs across the entire quilt. You can't mess up, and it gives you practice getting comfortable with your quilter. Pantos run around 18 bucks. Also consider repair costs. The Nolting people fully support you repairing your own machine. They give great customer service and will stay on the phone all day with you if necessary. I have only had one minor repair that I did myself. Parts are also cheap compared to some others.