really test drive different brands, you might be happier with a janome, they are definitely more user friendly than the bernina's and very popular, an hour and a half is not that far of a drive to test out machines. I go to my dealer once a year for servicing so to have them super close hasn't been necessary. How much are you willing to spend, berninas are expensive, not only that their accessories can be 3-4 times the price of other brands, and they are also more complicated than some other brands, meaning you will need classes to really understand how to use your machine, not easy right out of the box. A machine is an investment when you spend that much, you want to make sure you have the right one. I would also test to see if you even like FMQ because there is no sense in investing in a big harp if you hate it. I had and still have a machine like your and was all I had for like 10 years while I love my expensive machine I could still use my cheap one and still do so often. You don't want to spend 2-5k on a machine that you will regret buying. You want to make the right choice for you in a machine that has all of the features you want in a machine