Hi Barb,
Tons of good advice for you here already - try out everything you can, talk to all the LA's you can, find out what they love and what they don't about their systems. LongArmUniversity has a section on questions to ask when researching your purchase, lots of good info! (
http://www.longarmuniversity.com)
There are Yahoo discussion groups (Machine Quilting Professional, plus the followers of specific makes) to wade through.
Definitely look at the YouTube videos available - especially by Sharon Schamber, she has some excellent free tutorials on LA techniques. Watch some of Karen McTavish for her techniques, and also be sure to check out Leah Day's blog - she is working on a domestic machine not a long-arm but lots of good ideas for creating designs (
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com).
I've been quilting for a number of years, have been able to do more in the last couple of years. Definitely a fabriholic! Two years ago I purchased the Pfaff GrandQuilter and Imperial frame. The GrandQuilter is a 'mid-arm' - has a 9" harp. I love the frame but was completely frustrated working with the small area. Moved up to a Pfaff 18.8 this spring, and love it.
There aren't any dealers near me who sell anything else! So it was a pretty clear choice - if I wanted service nearby, which I do.
There's also
http://www.quiltfrog.com/ in Texas where they have a variety of systems set up, and they do classes. So you'd get to spend some quality time with different systems and would hopefully be able to make a really informed choice. I only wish I was able to do this, never could make it work for me personally.
And then, you might also look at the automated/robotic systems - I got the QBot when I upgraded, and having lots of fun with it! I am doing a variety of freehand, QBot and ruler work on the quilts I'm working with ... having tons of fun!
I'm trying to do some quilting every day, to build the muscle memory to do freehand designs without getting lost. For the days you don't/can't quilt, draw!
For some fun design techniques, check out Zentangles
(
http://www.zentangle.com/index.php) - amazingly adaptable to quilting :)
Good luck with your decision!
Cheers,
Linda