A man always remembers his first love with special tenderness,
but after that he begins to bunch them.
- H. L. Mencken

So it can be with guitars. :) Up until three or four years ago my 'good' guitar was one I bought 45 years ago for 30 bucks. On the other hand, it wasn't getting any playing time. ;)

My point about cheap vs. expensive is that a beginner is quite likely not going to have the experience to judge the sound quality of a guitar or know if it plays well/easily. Major brands, which generally command higher prices, can be trusted more than others to provide a good guitar, IMO. I believe this trust especially comes into play for instruments bought online without hearing or playing the guitar. This is not the best way to buy a guitar but I've read that well over half the guitars in the U.S. are so purchased.

FYI, before my 30 dollar guitar I started with a gosh-awful, hard-to-play axe that cost twice as much. So...y'all are right...sometimes cheaper is the better choice. :D