patricej

that dealer did not tell you the truth. plain and simple. he was trying to scare you into buying one of his machines. he's a bully and apparently hopes you're stupid.

you have already proved you are not stupid by checking up on his tall tale. prove it again by NOT buying so much as a pin from that chump.

others have pointed out good reasons to buy from a local dealer if you can afford to.

-dealers are not obligated to service or repair machines not bought from their shops. so, if you buy a used machine, or a new one from a big-box or online store, you will likely have to ship it to the factory to have any warranty work done on it. (that will depend on the policy of the place you bought it.)

-if you buy a machine you think you can't master without help, then local dealers are the best source for classes. (however, i'd be surprised if they turned down a chance to charge you for a class just because they didn't sell you the machine. it's the freebies you'll have to do without.)

if you have a local machine repair shop, find out which brands you can take to them for warranty work, which kind of work they can do on the premises and which will require shipment to the factory. focus on those brands and shop around for the best price.

if you don't have a local repair shop you'll have to choose between
-buying only from a dealer (they usually charge the full manufacturer's suggested retail price) so you'll have a local source of service and repair
-buying from another source at a lower price while risking the possibility you'll have to ship the machine off if it needs work.

if you can save hundreds or thousands buying elsewhere, and the machine you choose has a really good reputation, it might be worth the "risk". just keep all of the original packaging and set aside some of the money you saved in an emergency fund.

wherever you buy it, make sure to ask lots of questions about their return policies, whether and how they stand behind what they sell, etc.