Used to own a top of the line Bernina (at the time I bought it - they just keep getting better and more and more expensive ALL BRANDS) and loved it! But we then became an authorized Pfaff dealer at our quilt shop and I sold the Bernina. Started using a Pfaff and fell in deeper love. For a quilter, you absolutely CAN NOT beat the IDT! Accurate piecing, even top and bottom fabric feed whether you are sewing the top together or quilting the quilt itself. I will never buy another brand now. I believe that Janome now has a similar mechanism on some of their machines. But, Pfaff owned the patent on it for over 20 years. They have worked out all the kinks in the IDT. Pfaff is the original.
All of that being said, what we used to tell all of our customers is this: "Buy the most expensive and nicest machine you can afford now. You can always grow into a machine that has functions and capabilities you may not think you need. But, when you outgrow one, all you can do is suffer through it or get a minimal return on your investment and upgrade."
I could go on and on. Hubby being a service tech for all brands of sewing machines knows all the "inner workings" of all brands. You really do get what you pay for. I can tell you that the most well made brands out there are Bernina and Pfaff. Stitches and functions, bells and whistles aside we did the least amount of repairs on those brands and they are just simply better built.
Good Luck! I know it is a huge decision.