What guitar to buy depends on (1) your budget and (2) the style of music you'd like to play. If you are into heavy metal, an Ibanez (like Rachel uses) makes sense. If you're into Rock'n Roll it doesn't.
I'm financially independent, but I still buy used whenever I can, as I get more bang for the buck. If I were you, I'd do my homework first, then go to Guitar Center and other stores and get a feel for the different guitars out there, namely Tele, Strat, Les Paul, and Ibanez.
After you know what you want, buy on Reverb. That's where people who know guitars buy and sell, and none of them wants a negative feedback.
If in doubt, a Tele is great, because you can focus on your technique, instead of having to figure out countless pickup configurations. I had several Teles and loved them, but ultimately sold them all because my fingers are too meaty for the 1-5/8 nut width.
Which brings me to the final point. Check out what nut width your acoustic has and how you like it. Do your fingers feel cramped or not? There IS a difference between 1-5/8 and 1-11/16, let alone 1-3/4 or wider.
Good luck.
