I've had mine 4 years now and have been very, very happy with it. There are bells and whistles I would have never thought of (much less own a machine with them). There is a learning curve to get the most out of your machine. Janome is a very reliable brand. I'm on Janome Yahoo and Facebook groups that focus on this machine and the issues are few and far between.
I do a lot of quilting, use the embroidery unit to quilt on my quilts, and also use the embroidery for a few embroidery items for my granddaughter.
I didn't actually go to the dealer to get a new machine. I was taking my Janome 7700 in for it's annual spa day and my husband was with me. He does tend to look at top of the line everything and was looking at this machine when the owner of the store started talking to him about it. I felt like the machine was way out of my price range and I knew there would be additional costs for the embroidery (thread, stabilizers, etc.) and just dismissed the whole thing. Later at home my husband told me he really wanted to buy this machine for me. How could I refuse him???
Now I am very spoiled. I can't imagine life without it.
I wish you the best in your decision.