My hat's of to your hubby for recognizing how much quilting means to you and being willing to support your creative endeavors!
Be sure to take a few samples of the things you actually sew when you test drive any machines. The fabric samples at the stores are always nice stiff fabric to make the decorative stitches look good. You will probably want to see how the machine handles piecing pointy triangles and quilting over bulky seams, etc.