I FMQ on my Innova. I do not have Autopilot and the only computer I have is the regular stitch regulator, not the lightening stitch.
I think you need to make a list of pros and cons and what your ultimate use of the machine is. Do you plan on quilting for hire? Do you want to make show quilts? Or are you just getting this for your own use?
I have found that many who go computerized right away do have a tendency to be "afraid" to FMQ without computer assistance so they tend to focus on just digital operation of the machine thinking their work is sub-par because they can't execute designs as perfectly as the computer. This is true. My feather back tracks aren't always perfect, string of pearls circles vary in size and lopsidedness, when quilting multiples of the same motif I will have human variances when quilting from one to the next. But I embrace this and consider it part of the art. If you want to see examples of my work simply click my name, go to my profile and view topics I have started in the Pictures forum.