Absolutely do that test drive, sometimes you are just not comfortable with a machine and you want to know that before you think about buying it. Also, do you want a mechanical or a computerized machine? There's a big difference in price between the two.
I'm personally not a Bernina fan but my friends that have them love them and rarely do I hear about problems with them. My Babylock is an embroidery machine but one thing my dealer said was they have a pretty high quality control standard on their machines so that's something good to know. I've never had an issue with my Babylock. My Juki is an old serger which will probably be going strong long after I'm gone, the Juki name has a good reputation Singer dropped the ball several years ago when they put plastic casings on metal parts and within 6 months the casings shattered and wrecked havoc with their machines. There were other issues as well but that was the main one. They seem to be gaining ground with their newer models but now consumers are gun shy. The old mechanicals are still the best.
There are other brands that your dealer doesn't sell that are good dependable machines, like Brother, Pfaff and Janome. My primary sewing machine is a computerized Kenmore that is over 20 years old and works like a charm. You might consider one of those as well if you feel comfortable with not having a dealer close by.