After reading the others comments, I have to concur with them. I bought my 1st one due to the fact I didn't care for how the quilter did mine. Of course I didn't do any of the suggestions listed here like check out all the machines and test drive them. No I just jump head 1st and bought the 1st one I saw without even trying it out. I loved the machine, just not the frame, etc. I finally got the machine I love after 6-7 years, an Innova after test driving it at a quilt show. Finally did something right for a change. My mother bought it for me as she wanted her quilt finished in this century. Got a 26" on a 12' frame and I only quilt for myself. I will probably never get my money's worth out of it but that doesn't matter to me as its a nice toy to have when I'm in the mood to quilt. I know this sounds silly and a waste of money but to me it isn't. Most of my quilts are custom quilted so you know how much money that costs if I sent them out to be done.
I've had my system since late November 2012 and have only been able to quilt 6 quilts due to my back going out on me in February but I know I'll be back at it soon enough. I've got 6 more quilts ready to be quilted with one on the frame right now.
Guess it all boils down to whether you enjoy quilting and not so much to whether you'll get your money's worth out of the investment. Since money is not the issue, that's a moot point. So are you sure you'll enjoy quilting on it? If so, then try out a bunch of machine/setups as each one has their pros and cons. Decide on how much of a machine/frame you need and start looking for it. Quilt Shows seem to be the best way to try out a number of them at one place. Customer Service is another important issue with any machine. Plus if you can go onto a various number of machine digest and see what others say about their machines, problems they've had, etc. that will help you with your decision.
That's my take on the subject.
Suz in Iowa