I think Prism99 has given good advice--definitely take your time shopping and trying out machines. Make that list of pros/cons of sit-down vs. LA. Often I think people jump on the assumption that LA are more expensive (not if you go the route of a used machine and since they are mostly made for commerical use, they should last a long, long time)and that you have to stand the whole time. That depends upon the type of quilting you would be doing--working on pantos or Edge to edge where you are making large sweeping motions usually does require more standing. Doing custom work or modern quilting usually allows you to sit on a drafting stool. I'm assuming you have quilted with your domestic machine, so you know the issues with sandwiching--that alone was a driving force for me to go with a LA.