My two cents. . . try out the Janome 6600. I started out on an old Singer, I couldn't keep the tension right to save my soul. Then I purchased a Baby Lock Grace, traded up to an Ellure (Big Boo Boo--I hardly ever use the very expensive embroidery feature).
I joined a quilt guild. One of my mentors at guild has a Janome 6600 and a Bernina. A nice Bernina, too. She lives on the 6600. My sweetheart, Larry did all my cutting for me. He's now retired. A couple of years ago we were at the Mid-Atlantic quilt show, HE brought home a nice, new 6600. He caught on rather quickly (okay, I was a little jealous), but as I watched and LISTENED to his 6600.
It has one of the largest throats available on a domestic machine (which I love). We loved it so much we bought a second barely used 6600. Find someone with a 6600 and use it for an afternoon.
Berninas are nice, but they are nice and expensive, too. I've used another friend's Bernina, it's an awesome machine, but like my friend, I enjoy the old mechanical Bernina over today's $$$$$ models.
If you're just starting out, you don't need a $4000 sewing machine. Our local dealers will allow you to trade up within three years. . .ease your way up, that's what I did. (Save some of your $$ for fabric!)
The Janome 6600 is very precise, which is part of the reason I love it. I love it for FMQ, too. Although my Ellure is no slouch, the 6600 has a bigger throat. SWEET!