That is $1300 more than the machine the OP is looking at. If he was will to spend $3000 for a lathe, I would be strongly suggesting he go for a 12x36 model that has a real (Norton) QCGB (or a Grizzly 12x24 if he didn't have space).
The question to answer is what other lathes should he look at that are near that $1700 price point.
1. Grizzly 11x26 at $1500. No power cross feed, no separate feed rod, no variable speed.
2. Grizzly 1022V at $1700. No power cross feed, no separate feed rod.
3. PM1030V at $1800. No power cross feed, no separate feed rod.
I would strongly recommend that the OP gets a photo of the actual lathe DROPros is selling, showing the separate feed rod, prior to purchase, just to make sure there is no mis-communication. I haven't seen any Weiss WM250V photos online that show this configuration.
http://www.weiss.com.cn/products_detail/productId=51.html
Also, if you do buy from DROPros, recommend (if you can swing the cash) you buy a DRO at the same time. Having one on a lathe is a glorious thing, and the 25% discount they are offering is nice.