Hi Deb:
Got to give you my input...LOL.
I have an old 1957 Singer machine which i dearly love, I named her 'Nellie" because I use her so much. I also have a Juno Serger which is fairly new. I have an American Quilter sewing machine which I purchased from Walmart about 7 years agoto give 'Nellie" a rest. . It runs like a dream and I also reeived many accessories with it.
I also was interested in embroidery, so with what budget I had I purchased a Singer Futura Sewing/Embroidery machine. I absolutely love it. It was well within my budget and does all the things I need. I even download patterns from the computer with it as well.
Main thing is be happy with what you can afford and love it with oil.
Happy Quilting!