I have a powermatic 3520b which has been a great lathe for me for around 10 years, but that's completely useless information for you unless you have a chance to buy a 10 year old 3520b. Tools and tool companies change over time. A few get better and many go the other way.
If I had to replace my lathe today, I would not automatically buy another 3520b. I would not buy any lathe in the price range you are looking at if I had not had a chance to turn on one for a reasonable test period. Would you buy a car without taking a test drive? You are talking about a serious investment. Some things can only be learned by using the tool. I knew a guy who got a oneway lathe as a gift from his wife (lucky him!). It was a fantastic lathe, but he hated it. The tubular construction caused some sort of weird resonant sound when he was using it and it drove him nuts. Most other turners in the club couldn't hear the sound. But some could and some of them found it super annoying.
Craft supplies offers turning classes. If you are going to buy at craft supplies I would think they would let you take some classroom lathes for a spin. If they don't have newer models of what you are considering in the classrooms, that might make you think twice. If you belong to a local turning club, you can probably find an assortment of lathes to take for a test drive.
10 years ago when I bought my PM3520b, Powermatic customer support was top notch. A couple of years ago I tried to contact Powermatic customer support and the experience was completely different (not in a good way). I would compare the warranties on the machines I was considering and then call the customer support lines with a "test" support question.
Ed