I wanted to really step up my charity quilting. I hated all that basting and then shoving quilts through a sewing machine. I spent alot of time researching what I wanted. I narrowed it down to an HQ16. Then I started trolling all the classified websites including Craigslist. I had a budget of $3,500. It took me 2 years to find one at that price. It is one of the original ones with no bells and whistles--not even a stitch regulator.
I have quilted for $ for people who like what I do---easy all overs from the front of the machine. It was a great decision for me and I also quilt tops from our charity groups. I did over 100 last year.