Well I finally did it! I just bought a Saphhire 870. Thanks for all the tips. I did more research on various machines and tried out a Janome in a town not too far away but still like the Sapphire better for the large throat. What I saw in various review sites is that the 879/870 was the one getting the rave reviews. So i did not buy the sewing paltform thingy and got the better machine. I get to pick it up Thurs evening and now I can't wait!