Thanks again for all the wonderful tips! I hope others will find these suggestions in the future!

I went out to test drive some machines, and my local (within a few miles from home) Janome dealer had a lovely Memory Craft 7700 that was appropriately serviced all it's life that he parted with for $1000, plus free classes and a free tune up in a year. This made both my mom and I happy. So to anyone who is shopping, definitely heed the suggestions of not being afraid to a) test drive machines and b) buy 'certified' used from a dealer you trust!

Congratulations - happy stitching! And be sure to show us pics of your work :)

Christine

I have the 7700 and I love it. It may take a day or two to get to know her but once you do I think you will love yours too. To me the automatic tension is worth about 1/2 of the cost all by itself. When I first started FMQ I soon learned that mine likes it better with her feed dogs up and the stitch length set at 0, and she only likes certain threads, sort of like a two year old picky eater, so you may need to experiment a little to see what works for your new girl. Best of luck and happy quilting.

Thanks for the original post and all of the answers. I'm going window shopping tomorrow -armed with a list.