I have the Juki 98Q, and love it! I love it for piecing, I love it for quilting. Other than
this last quilt, I always look forward to quilting. You can see my quilts
Here.....most of them are quilted on my Juki. It has made all the difference in getting quilts finished.
I got mine
new a few years ago for $625. It is straight stitch only, and I am not sure about me using the 1200 stitches per minute, but I do sew faster than my Pfaff or Viking will sew. It has a thread cutter and a knee lift, and I really use both of those. The needle always ends up DOWN in the fabric, and you either have to turn the hand wheel, or hit the needle up-needle down button, or when you hit the button to cut your threads the needle comes up. I am fine with it staying down...never bothers me in the least because that is usually what I want it to do.
The thing with the 98Q is it is mechanical. I had the take-up spring break on me...I have no idea why. My husband I replaced it...I just called one of the shops and ask how to do it...and we did it easily. Yahoo has a forum for the Juki 98E but they talk about the 98Q...they are basically the same...forget the difference...no thread-cutter or no knee lift or maybe neither on the 98E.. Anyway, there are a couple guys on there that can help you with about anything.
The only thing, they no longer make this model, though you might be lucky enough to get one used. But I SO love it. They have replaced it with the 2010....
I do have the Juki Exceed F 600 that has all the bells and whistles, and I did quilt
this little table topper on it. It is the only thing I have quilted on it...and it was fine. But I much prefer my Juki 98Q....maybe cause I am so used to it.
Whatever you decide to get, you can always offer less than they are asking. They were asking around $900 for my Juki when I bought it, and Joanns carried it at that time and they were asking even more. I really had a hard time paying that much for a straight stitch only machine, but I have never regretted it.
And when I was reading the Yahoo forum...so many people used it and liked it better than their Pfaffs, Berninas, Vikings, etc...and I had a Pfaff and Viking...and I preferred it for piecing. I never dreamed I would ever do regular sewing on anything other than the Pfaff.
Anyway, do research, and ask around....I have never heard anyone disappointed in the Brother 1500s either...nor their Janome.