And of course i have to add @Makible 's Makibox - you can possibly just buy one in addition to the Ultimaker, once we’re done with the current PreOrders 
Someone summoned me?
The Ultimaker IS and at the same time IS NOT a hackers machine. It’s good out of the box, printing still at the highest quality I’ve seen for it’s price. Cura makes it easy to setup and operate, and getting better and better with each version. With a release almost every month or 2 months.
The new pre-assembled machines are calibrated and tested before send off to the customer. As proof, we leave our calibration test print on the machine so you can see what quality to expect.
But it’s also open to hack and tinker with. The firmware, electronics, lasercut drawings. All open and out there for you to change the machine if you wish. And nothing locks you to Cura, and you can use other software if you want. Or change Cura in any way you want as it is fully Open Source, AGPL software.
As for Cura, it also works on RepRaps. And I have an active group of RepRap users. Friend of mine is using it with his Printrbot for example.
I was hugely surprised by the closed, unconfigurable Makerware software. And the fact that they are still using Skeinforge, without any of the speedup I did in Cura.
I know, from feedback of my users, that advanced configuration options is a must. There is no single solution for all prints yet.
I think Cura comes with the best of both worlds. A few simple quick to use profiles which has all settings pre-defined and working for 90% of the prints. And an mode advanced mode where you can tweak more yourself.
As for Ultimakers reputation, there have been a lot of changes between the kit a year ago, and now. Lots of small tweaks to make it better. And larger upgrades like the new hotend, spring based drive. And all these upgrades are standard in new machines.
Yeah, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that Ultimaker just recently started shipping the assembled unit option.
2 weeks ago we started selling them.
@Karan_Chaphekar no hate - you asked 
I still don’t see the Makerbot Premium Pricing, but i am a Maker, not a Consumer, so don’t ask me
I’m hoping not to hijack this too much, so I’ll keep this brief. I was prowling the cnczone board once more last night and came across this “Platform” (still beta) execution by the guy who brought us the MDF CNC plan (those plans fund the new design, btw) and it looks mighty impressive. One platform to handle CNC (it does mill 6061 aluminum), laser/plasma, extrusion, and knife.
http://www.grunblau.com/PlatformCNC.htm
I’m keeping an eye on this guy.
Getting a first 3D printer can be pretty intimidating… There are a number of different overall designs and within each design, there can be different vendors doing different takes on those designs. Prices can vary wildly and don’t necessarily indicate quality. Some of the specs are meaningless and even the ones that are meaningful may not really mean anything to you if you’re new to the field…
It’s difficult to get a solid, apples-to-apples comparison of what’s out there.
Random thoughts:
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Get the best you can easily afford. If it’s a choice between $500 now or $2000 in a year, get something now. It may not be the Ferrari but at least you’re not walking everywhere
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MakerGear and Ultimaker are on the top of my list. MakerGear wins in hardware quality, Ultimaker wins in print speed and resolution. These are more like 10% wins than 50% wins - both companies make great machines and you will be happy with either
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Everybody (even me) has selection bias - we’re prone to favor decisions we’ve already made. When people offer an opinion about a machine, ask if they have experience with other machines. (BTW, I’ve got an Ultimaker and a MakerBot Cupcake and have dealt with MakerGear parts (but not whole machines) in the past)
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Don’t underestimate yourself. If you can figure out G+, you can figure out how to build one of these machines. Take your time, read the instructions BEFORE starting assembly so you get the general idea and know what skills are required, don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are even a little bit confused
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When you’ve got it assembled, assume you know nothing. I’ve seen many people (including myself) waste enormous amounts of time because they tried to make the machine/software work they way they thought it should work instead of how it actually works. It’s not hard stuff once you understand how IT wants to behave
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Don’t stress about it. Do as much research as you can stomach, ask questions, pull the trigger. I can’t think of any machines today that are just complete crap so you’re probably not going to get totally burned
…also, MAKE just did a whole magazine about the different printers that are currently out. If you can’t find it at a local store, you can find it here: http://www.makershed.com/Make_Ultimate_Guide_to_3D_Printing_p/1449357377.htm
Some is already a little dated (like, I think their Ultimaker didn’t have the new hot end & drive) plus some of the specs are a bit off but, overall, I thought it was a pretty good summary of what’s what…
Or here for a pay pdf version:
http://www.makershed.com/Ultimate_3D_Printer_Buyer_s_Guide_PDF_p/e3dsip.htm