Excellent plan and congrats on being able to keep your common sense on this!

Doing the certification class then renting a machine for several projects is an outstanding way to test things out. I did that when I first started looking (still haven't bought but am also almost definitely going Innova when I finally bite the bullet), and it eliminated a brand from my short list.

Thanks, mkc! I did hear back from her. She countered at $12,500, then reduced it another $150 because she wanted to replace the bobbin winder for me since the old one was having some problem. I believe she is honest about her machine and it's condition but I would feel better if it had a recent dealer check up and clean bill of health. I'm not good at purchasing used large ticket items. I'm just not experienced enough to know if I'm heading into a major repair nightmare.

I hope you get what you want, too. And have a great experience doing so! And I hope the info in this thread will help others in their decision making.

I still think the 1 year old dealer machine is a much better deal, even at the higher price

Thanks! I almost bought a sit-down Innova at a quilt show because I instantly bonded with it (it was an OMG moment - and I played and played and didn't want to stop), but I really hate doing the quilt sandwiching and we were moving within the year, so I held off and do think I'll be going the longarm route. Fortunately, I'm less than 2 hours from a really well-regarded Innova dealer that usually has a number of options, both Innova and other brands, available used.

Michelle

I would opt for the set up and lessons.

When I bought mine, the owner was moving to the opposite end of the state. I really needed lessons. Then the bank said, you'd better rent out that apartment that this machine is sitting in. Now the frame is in the garage and the head is in a box in the living room. My one hip hurts when I quilt on it. So now I need to decide if I want to keep it and get a computer program to run it, or what.