I have a Brother NX600 that I use for piecing and other things but I LOVE my Janome 6500P for quilting. I have never had to adjust the tensions for FMQ - EVER. Nice throat, lots of extras. But do love my Brother too - it's a workhorse.
Good luck and have fun in the search!

Something I don't see on your must list. A good instruction book that has some of the most common troubleshooting questions AND answers. The troubleshooting section for my Pfaff is little more than a page and is pretty much worthless.

"Got any major quilt shows coming to your area? Usually all the major manufacturers are there....and you can test drive."

That's what I did. I purchased a Viking Sapphire 835 for $599 at the Long Beach show last July. They had several "possibly used" from a class that was held at the show. (They said that some of the machines set up for the class might not be used if the class was not full.)

I just bought a Burnina 710 from a local dealer. I could have gotten one at a discount from my daughter who works at a Burnina dealership in TX (I live in MI) I chose to pay full price and buy here because of the free classes and the support you get when you buy from a dealer. I think it is worth it. Just something to think about.

I can highly recommend the Brother PS1500. I have had mine for several years and it is a workhorse. I also have more expensive machines, but this one is the one I use most often. I piece, quilt, mend, and sew clothing on it. It only does the straight stitch, but it does it very well. It runs about $700. now.

You can probablt get a used babylock espire or brother QC-1000 for around that much. I paid 1800 new and just traded mine in from the dreamweaver but it was a wonderful machine the Laura ashley replaced it, you might be able to find some nice used ones from your dealer, they usually offer a warranty. the one I traded in was a workhorse, never had any problems with it, owned it for almost 3 years. loved my girl but upgraded. I have used other brands but always love brother more. its more bang for your buck.

You should also take a look at the Janome 6300 and 6500. They would both in your price range and have a larger harp. I've tried them both out and thought they were a lot of machine for the cost. Good luck with your decision!

There's a used Janome 6500p on my local Craig's List right now for $900. I'm very tempted, but I feel like I need to know for sure what I want before spending that kind of money.

There are some great suggestions for machines here -- and I'm sure that you will be able to try out and choose one that's right for your needs. The thing which is most important to me, living in a rural area with no close big city stores available -- is service. Support whatever local shop you have, and they will support you. Even if you get a "gift" of a machine (that is you elect to purchase a machine over the internet without telling about it) -- get one that your shop will be willing and able to help you care for.

I had the Janome 6500 -- great machine and DH now has it. I bought it when if first came out, but really would have preferred the 6600 because of the accufeed. Either of those machines are a sturdy, heavy and great work horses. I upgraded to the 7700 because it had better lighting and the accufeed. It, too, is a good machine but is more $$.