my approach in your situation would be to play as many used pianos, even if they're a bit over your budget, as you can within accessible distance. since you're used to a grand, you might set a 122 cm (48 in.) minimum height requirement for your candidates. don't be shy about trying pianos considerably beyond your budget, either, if they're in a sales room with other candidates, because it could help you sort out the qualities and touch you prefer. yamaha U1's are somewhat middle of the road, please as many consumers at a high-mid price tier as possible, piano. and there have been so many thousands sold over the years they'll have variations between individual instruments. the advantage with used pianos isn't just the price ; since the action is critical for you, new pianos (except high end ones that get meticulous, thorough set up and prep) have a big variability on how much they've been 'played in' and regulated. the better-run shops do more with the prep for their inventories, and you'd find that out as well by trying as many pianos as you can.
Topic: Upright choice