By purchasing a frame first instead of a midarm;longarm/frame combo, you may be limiting your choice of machines later. I have a Voyager 17/Hinterberg frame setup purchased for about $3,000 total. The Voyager is a vintage stretched Singer industrial machine so is quite heavy, and the Hinty frame is one of the few strong enough to handle the weight. The Bernina frame can probably handle some of the midarm/longarm machines out there, but many of the higher-end machines really require the frame that goes with them. For example, I cannot imagine using an Innova on other than an Innova frame. This would be to ensure that all of the fancy features, including stitch regulation, work correctly. Just something to be aware of.