I bought the PE500 for $300. It is small with only a 4 in embroidery but I have done alot with it. I only quilt so designs for other things dont interest me.
I love this little workhorse Brother and it is simple to use. Of course you spend alot for thread and patterns but I downloaded alot of free patterns. I like redwork for quilting and have downloaded childrens patterns and decorative ones for quilt block centers. The 4 in patterns are good for up to a 6 in block.
It does enough for me. Embroidery can get expensive and is a learning experience. Stablizer is what Im trying to figure out now. Im saving money with the smaller hoop and useing only enough to back the design in the hoop.
I also had to buy Ped Basic to really download designs and that was $100. So be prepared for additonal expenses.
My machine uses a card to download design to. More expensive machines use disks.
So do some research. It all depends on what you want to do with embroidery.