Don't be afraid to consider used machines. Check your local dealers and ask around at your guild and quilt shops for machines others have traded in or are looking to sell privately. This is how I got what I consider to be the perfect machine, my Brother 1500. Knee lift, auto threader, cutter, 9 inch harp, needle down, mechanical not computerized, extension table, 1500 stitches per minute.
Now, having said that, you may want a machine that is lightweight so you can take it to classes, and this machine is not lightweight. You may want a machine that does a buttonhole stitch (for applique) and this machine is a straight-stitch only. So you need to know what you want in a machine.