Basic 3D printer - Top of budget or buy low-end first

[curious aardvark]

OOh, now you're talking :-)
qidi x plus: https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-I...s%2C465&sr=8-3

formbot raptor: https://www.formbot3d.com/formbot-ra...ing-p0022.html

I'm a big fan of deltas: https://www.tevousa.com/products/tev...3d-printer-kit

ready built prusa mk3s: https://www.tevousa.com/products/tev...3d-printer-kit
that said you save $250 by building it yourself :-) https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-print...-mk3-kit.html#
And you can buy a lot of filament for $250 :-)

To a certain extent it's about what you might want to print.
Now sme people will say you can go too big (josef prusa is probably one lol) But, Nah - there's always something that little bit bigger than your printbed you'd like to print in one go :-)
Also just because it will go big, does not mean it won't also do very small and detailed.

Those 4 printers cover most of the options. The prusa is in there because if you're not bothered about size - it just wins every award out there. There is a video of someone interviewing josef with a mk3. He holds the carriage in place, it resets and carries on. Pulls the plug, same thing. Just a serious piece of kit. If there's something that could have been done to improve his machines - mr prusa has probably done it.