Sewing expos are a great place to try out new machines and also to meet people that sell machines.
Each of us is different, we think differently, we are shaped differently. and we quilt in different styles too! I'm 5'7" but I have a long torso and relatively short arms/legs. My friend who owned a long arm is 5'10" and more normally shaped. I had to stand on my tiptoes to use her frame, and I can't really reach more than a 12" pattern depth even if the frame was lower.
For me, I would definitely want the computerized options and I need a stitch regulator. But the real issue is that I just don't have the space to dedicate to the machine. They don't come up all the time but several times in the last few years I've seen some really wonderful systems sold by people on Craig's List down-sizing in the 3-5k range, including the frame, the machine, and the computer.