Stay away from newer Singers, a couple of our gals at quild bought them and they didn't last much over a year. I have a new Juki TL98, has a larger harp but is straight stitch only and is a workhorse. I thought I wanted a Bernina & bought 2, because, well, just because, & I don't like them at all, they are expensive to service, feet are expensive, complicated to learn, expensive to buy & I just don't use them except to collect dust. My Janome 6600 is my favorite for everything. Bought it as a floor demo & didn't exactly get a deal. Didn't get classes or any perks either. Look for a good used machine of your choice, a lot of ladies, just like the men, want to trade up to a newer model so there are usually a lot of good used machines around. The Juki, Brother, Janome, Bernina are rarely ever used up. Your price range is limiting & you may not get everything you want, but do we ever? lol Good luck. let us know what you decide and what you like and don't like.