Did you mean to say a Bridgeport is 1500? You can get all sorts for that price. I was recently looking locally, purely sport, I have a few mills. There were quite a few for 2500, bad sample. I almost bought one of 1000 at one point. Got offered a better German two head mill for zero. There are tons of horizontals for a few hundred, and horizontals are pretty useful for frame building. Less useful for general stock removal on parts and projects. Of course one doesn't need a mill at all, and many pros don't use them, but having one has made my life a lot more enjoyable. Portland is a good place to buy tools, though I have heard it said you need to jump all over the good deals. When I was collecting my stuff, I had money in the bank, and would immediately send a guy an email saying, consider it sold if it is as described, let me know when I can come with the cash. Try to massage the words so it sounds un-accusatory.