Alright ladies and gents, I'm experiencing some serious sticker shock lately when it comes to sewing machine prices!

Right now I have a Dressmaker II:

and I'm borrowing MIL's old Brother, which I've nicknamed "The Beast" (closest picture I could find, hers is white/blue and not the same model but has the same dials and such):


So, as you can see, I am in need of a good machine that:
A: Isn't tiny, and
2: Isn't older than me lol

I'm willing to spend more than a couple of hundred dollars, but looking at simple "dealer" machines (like Bernina and Babylock) I'm seeing prices in the thousands? Is this normal? I'm looking for a machine that can do some cute stitches (the Dressmaker only does "straight-ish" and The Beast only does straight, zig-zag, and button hole) and maybe a little embroidery. Nothing too extravagant, but something that I can use to add a little something to my work. (I'm drooling over the Brother Quattro 2, but at $9,999, it'll have to wait until I win the lottery )

So is this possible for less than $500, or should I keep saving?