You may find a pre-owned Gammill for a decent price...but....what I consider a decent price may not be, to you. I bought one new and have put it through its' paces, as I quilt professionally and also for my family and for charities. My advice is to buy the best one you can afford and take good care of it. Also, I would stick with a well-known brand name...there's something to say about the fact that they are well-known...they generally will meet your expectations a little more. Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.

If you have your heart set on owning one... test drive several. the best plac to do that is at a large show where the "names" in the industry will be there. The ability to go from machine to machine.. and have the memory of which one felt right to you and is valuable.
For me the cost of the machine, the maintenence... etc its cheaper for me to send my quilts to a pro. Operating a longarm is not as easy as it may seem.
I have mentioned this before.. owning a longarm has the same implications as owning a pool on a hot summer day.. in a power failure!

I recently bought a used Voyager 17 with Hinterberg stretch frame (plus some extras) for $3,000 from a fellow quilt guild member. This is a nice beginner setup. Someone else on the QB recently purchased a similar setup near Chicago for $2,200 and hers even included the stitch regulator. The Voyager is really a midarm rather than a longarm, but it's at the larger end of a midarm. I am loving mine so far.

Edit: The quilter who sold me my setup had had it for 7 years. She sold it to upgrade to a used APQS longarm for about $7,500.

I bought a previously owned Handi Quilter Sixteen a couple of ,on this ago and I absolutely love it. It is very easy to work with and I have a dealer about 20 miles from me. I knew the lady who owned it and knew it was in good shape. I would highly recommend this machine.

Here is a link to a recent thread on this same topic:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...e-t204885.html

I do "Quilt As You Go" style of quilting. I am disabled/retired and will never be able to save enough money for a long arm. I also can not sit for long periods of time at the machine. I do some by hand and others on the machine and do each block individually or in sections. There are several books that have been written on the subject and also a number of online videos on the subject. I have also found a woman in a small town that has a quilt shop and does quilts for people all over the country and will do a simple quilting pattern-full size quilt for $35, $10 more for batting, and bind the quilt for an additional $10. I would have to do a lot of quilts to pay for a long arm, plus I really don't have a room large enough for a long arm. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I highly recommend the online Craftsy course Quilting Large Projects on a Small Machine. The instructor teaches several techniques that make it doable. Watch for sale prices on the course...might get it for $19.99, money well spent in my opinion. I learned lots of hints that helped with all my quilting (not just big projects).

Test, test, and test even more machines before you decide to buy. I purchased my first LA, a used one, without testing any at all. Wasn't happy with it, then sold it to fund my new LA-HQ Avante. I traveled to test and performed online research for two years before buying again. I am very happy with my Avante. Not everyone has the luxury of living close to resources; my closest dealer/maintenance is three hours, which was not a negative factor for me. HQ telephone support in Utah is quick and responsive. A friend of mine purchased an Innova, and she has equally satisfying service from ABM International.

I have an HQ 16 and LOVE it :)

I purchased mine online in June. Got a great deal. Hubby put it together in a few hours and I've been over the moon using it!