I just started out on the guitar as of Christmas. I started out on the core learning system and just followed the path until I had to kick out and buy the membership. In MY honest opinion, it's the best teaching aid you can get your hands on! I've been finding myself going back and forth thru the tutorials and practicing some things from the beginning and picking up new things ahead of myself. (I know I shouldn't look too far ahead, but, I need to know what stuff I am in for ) Today I just finished up the Metal For Beginners II and found myself kicking out the Clean Epic Starts in no time. Now if I can just get my fat fingers to get my timing down on the major chords :D
As for the kicking out for a guitar... I am about as cheap as they come. If you can find yourself a decent starter for just learning on.. that would be the way to go (That's EXACTLY how I did). I am now looking at getting myself in to some money items since I am actually picking up some songs and getting some riffs down. An acoustic and a clean Strat just doesn't quite get that AC/DC or Black Sabbath Sound that I want.. sooooo here comes some pedals and another guitar :D
Look at the instructors here and see what guitar they are teaching you on and find a variant of theirs. Christopher Schlegel (Sorry if I misspelled it Chris) Uses a Stratocaster for the core learning system so I made sure that I was going to get my sounds like his and bought a Strat type. I went to a pawn shop and picked out a guitar and an amp for under $120... The Les Paul I am looking at isn't anywhere NEAR that cheap :P