I bought a $2,000.00 Brother and another brand high end machine for $7,000.00. I use the Brother far more often than the other machine as it is sturdier than the more expensive one. It sews easily through very thick fabric such as 4 thicknesses of denim, makes a nice quilt stitch and sews fine work as well. I am sorry I bought the other brand machine because despite the 'good' reputation it has as a brand, there have always been issues with the communication between computer and machine.
If you are quilting with it, compare the amount of throat area that you will have to bunch your quilt under. My Brother has 9" area which is much better than a lot of machines. Hope you are happy with your eventual choice.