I think that you have to be aware of the features "available" in the price range you can afford in narrowing down what machine to get. Before I purchased my Babylock, the only feature I was aware of that I knew I wanted was an automatic threader. As I only had a simple mechanical sewing machine before, I was not aware of what kind of features were available, as until I had an opportunity of using them, I did not know I wanted those features.
I think this is the basis for a new informative thread we should all contribute to. This could help many new quilters as to what is available on different price range machines, and what you find most useful on yours. Price vs. features is a important component of this. Comparing features available on a $300 machine with a $10,000 is of no help.
I think that the poster needs to post their budget that they are working with, so more people could make some suggestions to help them out. What is mid level to one person, may mean a budget of not more than $500, where to another it is $3,000.