Long-winded story but here is why I would not make that kind of investment without test driving.
When I was in the market I went to the Machine Quilter's Showcase - at the time it was in Springfield, IL - at least an 8 hr. drive. DH did go with me and we both took classes - he on maintenance, me on quilting and the business aspect. I tried all the different machines, several times each on different days of the show and asked lots of questions.
There is one VERY well known brand of machine, heavily advertised, many award winning quilters own it. I tried it and did NOT like how it handled. It seemed 'stiff' and not easy to move. The sales people told me it wasn't set up right, they didn't have time to do that at a show and it's hard to keep it adjusted when there were that many people trying it. (There were probably 4 or 5 different models of this brand set up, they didn't set any of them up right???? And is it so finicky that you have to be super careful that you don't knock it out of adjustment?) Needless to say I did not buy that brand. In subsequent years I attended that show again as well as others where there were several machine vendors. I still would go try that well-known brand of machine, and never ONCE did I like how it handled. I even quilted a quilt on a friend's machine of that brand, and I made her swear to not tell anyone I quilted it - it looked like a 2 year old had done it!! I could not get a smooth curve or a circle to save my life. You would think I had never touched a quilting machine before (I had over 5 years of experience at that point).
If I had bought that machine sight unseen, I probably would have quit machine quilting, thinking I was no good at it. Instead, I have been going strong for 10 years, now have 2 machines, and a loyal customer base. And yet, there are people who LOVE that machine. It just wasn't the right one for me.
Andi