I very quickly 'outgrew' my first machine (a Janome). Luckily I bought it at half-price in a closing down sale and sold it for what I paid for it
. I bought a better Janome with needle up/down, auto thread cutter, lock stitch etc (which I love and take to classes).
A few months ago I bought a Pfaff QE4 purely for the auto-pivot (I do a lot of appliqué), built-in walking foot and larger harp.
Consider a machine you can grow in to. Just because you think you don't 'need' some of the features now, you might soon! Make a 'wish list' of the features you want the most and try as many as possible. Happy shopping!