Have you looked at pre-owned machines?
I own seven machines. The best and by far my favorite machine is a Brother 1500 that I bought used. Paid $400 for it and a New Joy frame, which turned out to be useless to me so I passed it on to another quilter.
I also purchased a Janome 1600 (which is nearly identical to the Brother) also for $400. It's my backup machine. My husband bought a Brother SE270D from Overstock for $300, it was refurbished but was my "daily driver" for years until I got the 1500.
Put the word out to your friends, local quilt shops, guilds, and dealers that you're in the market for a used machine. Know what you want and what you're willing to pay for it.