Welcome from NJ. If you have a reputable dealer near you, I would suggest going there and checking out a used higher end machine. Can usually get a pretty good bang for your buck that way. Let your fingers do some walking online first and see which brands/models have the features that you want. When you go shopping, take a sample of YOUR work - both piecing and quilting/sandwich. See how the machines stack up to the type sewing YOU do - not their samples.