The best advice that I can give you is to check out the shops and the machines. We all are different and want different things in our machines. You need to find out the features that are out there. Several yrs ago I bought a new machine because I wanted an upgraded one. It has lots of features and I got a great price since it was priced wrong. Since then I've learned about needle up/down option, scissor cut options, presser foot auto up/down, pivoting, the size of the throat, etc. I have a viking diamond deluxe and love it, I just push start and it lowers the presser foot automatically and does all that is needed to go. I never really thought about how much I liked this feature until I took a class last yr with a Brother emb machine, the latest out, great machine but I kept getting beeped at because I kept forgetting to put the presser foot down. You really need to research all of the features and try out as many as you can before you decide what you want or need. You'll be amazed at the features and some of the prices. Most of the high priced machines do have finance free options though. I love all of my Vikings, the one I bought a few yrs ago was a Kenmore made by Janome and I love it too but it doesn't have as many of the features of my Viking. I want to get a regular machine when my emb one is paid off but I'm thinking of getting the Pfaff, probably the passport. It has the built in walking foot plus my teacher who loves Pfaff but is also an award winning quilter says it looks like a really good machine. I think machines are like most things in life, you should try it before you buy it.