If you have your heart set on owning one... test drive several. the best plac to do that is at a large show where the "names" in the industry will be there. The ability to go from machine to machine.. and have the memory of which one felt right to you and is valuable.
For me the cost of the machine, the maintenence... etc its cheaper for me to send my quilts to a pro. Operating a longarm is not as easy as it may seem.
I have mentioned this before.. owning a longarm has the same implications as owning a pool on a hot summer day.. in a power failure!