I love my pfaffs. My old one was over 30 years old when I went shopping for a new one and I really wasn't very knowledgeable about all of the new features but the idt, good lighting and beautiful stitch quality were what sold me on the Pfaff machines. They had features that I didn't even know that I would use and love.
Really though, without a good dealer who was willing and able to spend so much time with me, most of the features would likely not have gotten used and been as fun to learn. I agree with alleyoop1 and would consider the dealer as an important part of my purchase decision.