Thanks for your help!
Thanks for all of your advice on buying a used sewing machine. You have given me the confidence that there are good machines and sellers out there, but just be careful in checking everything out.
That said, I was searching for EBay for the Bernina 770qe and I searched other countries to see what the currency exchange rates would make the price. I found a brand new Bernina 770qe from England WITH the embroidery package for US $4,200 including shipping and taxes. Wow! Both Bernina UK and Bernina US said that the machines in each country are exactly the same, except for the power cord. The machine itself can accomodate either the 110 volt US power or the 220 UK power.
The big disadvantage, though, is that the warranties do not work outside the dealer's country. So, there would be no warranty without shipping it back to England. On the other hand, the $4,000 savings in price would purchase a lot of repair work, which hopefully would never be completely needed.
It's a good thing I have to save another 3 months before actually deciding where to make the purchase from!