There are very real differences between moving the fabric on a sit down machine and moving a machine over the fabric. I'm finding my hard fought long arm skills don't translate so well moving the fabric. But we get used to what we have to do.
Koala cabinets are not to be sneezed at! And the size is a consideration for many of us.
Around here (Seattle), a good used long arm setup with no machine is probably around $1500-2500 if you decide to go that route in the future, I've seen some fantastic deals though by people downsizing.