Got bent because of a back injury. Thought I'd ride my DF now and then. Hung it on the wall. Tried it on one ride and said "What am I doing?". Never looked back.

Riding a recumbent is anything you want it to be: Slow amble tours. Fast as all get out like lowracer. A mix. Since I'm slow, I tell folks that it's not about speed: It's about re-discovering the fun of riding a bike because it feels good. Plus the view is a heckuva lot better. No more looking through your eyebrows. The fact that you can do a century and feel like "where's the next one" because you're not nearly as tired or sore. Headwinds? What headwinds?

The tough conversion part was the first time going up a hill and my 'bent' muscle groups had not developed. I thought I made the mistake of a lifetime. Months later when I was doing the same training route fast or faster I knew I made the right choice.

The 2nd toughest conversion part is you need a thick skin to ride with your old DF friends. You'll take a constant ribbing that's for sure. And you can't be shy cuz you'll get asked tons of questions wherever you stop.

As for "budget". Take what you can max spend and visit the sources of bikes that are out there.

www.recumbents.com and use the bike lookup.

www.bentrideronline.com and check out the buyers guide.

Good Luck