I don't do a lot of embroidery, but definitely see your point about spending just a little more in case I wanted to begin doing more. Connecting to the PC is really necessary for those who do lots of it. Even if I was to get a 2nd machine, no way would I give up my MC 9000.
When the 10000 came out, it was around $4,500 if I remember correctly. That was maybe 5-6 years ago? Hard to believe they're going for a fraction of that now.