17" and less are mid-arm machines. it's my understanding that long-arms begin at 18". if that's what you mean, and you want to include a frame as part of a package and nothing more, no bells or whistles or computers, then you can buy a brand-new tin lizzie 18" long-arm with a stitch regulator for $7,000. you'll get the regulator, the light, the laser, the panto shelf, the leaders, the machine itself and the sled it slides on, as well as the good-looking wooden frame. that was important to me. if you don't want the regulator it will be $1000 less. i don't even use it and could have saved the money, that's how smooth i find it. it comes with a manual and an instructional disc, forever phone help and extra needles and bobbins. it's a family business in utah, not china. you will not get the poles, because that ups the shipping costs considerably, as well as the price. you have to provide the pipes from home depot. no big deal. you can stretch it to 140" with the right length poles, or keep the poles short. you can have more than one set of poles. you get the best deal at the big shows. there are a few of us here who have them and we are all very happy with the quality and the price.
i haven't seen anything in that price range that size. everything else was that extra inch shorter. the lizzie lets you quilt a 14" block without trouble and with space around it. the shorter the arm, the smaller block you can easily quilt in one run.
whatever you want to spend, try them all out at all the shows. they're all there, tying to sell, and the competition is fierce.
the hard part of reading articles is trying to get anyone to give you a price.
EDIT: there is a forum for every machine. not the website, but the forums. read them. you'll see all the good things and bad things people say.
i also forgot to say that the lizzie frame that i have is made by hinterberg.