Phaff has one of it's modern machines on sale for around $700 and boasts a 11 X 7" harp, biggest on the market. It is on sale because they have come out with a newer model. You might want to check it out also.

Have you checked out some of the vintage Singer machines-?
Sturdy work horses~~

Sammygirlqt I will check out what Phaff has. Phaff used o be a good reliable band and I like the idea of having that extra couple of inches of space to scrunch a project in. Thanks! Mariposa, yes I have checked out some of the vintage machines but haven't found anything yet that has caught my eye. I figure I don't want to buy anything to old as it might be hard to get parts and at my age I don't need that stress...but who can insure I wouldn't have trouble with something newer, right? Thanks to all for you help.

Just be sure you have at least a 9" throat. It will make your life so much easier.

I have a brother 1500, I use it for FMQ, $500 is a heck of a deal, I'd go for it. Only maintenance is it needs to be oiled frequently but it has those handy dandy oil holes that you just drop your oil into. Also, I FMQ with the machine in front of me vertically, not horizontally and the bobbin area is not in front of the needle but to the left of the needle, which means it is facing me when I FMQ and so it's super easy to change the bobbin when I run out of thread.