imo, it depends on how easy it is for you to read the manual and learn from it. how long might you expect to own the machine? divide that into the $300 greater price... that dealer support may be worth that cost per year.
i tend to learn on my own... but i've found that i can go quite a long time before discovering that my [techie product] does something that i wish i'd known much earlier. i like person to person lessons now