Stick with a well known brand- Miller or Lincoln are commonly accepted as good equipment; others are available, but the big brands tend to have a lot going for them. We use Miller stuff in our shop for TIG work (Synchrowave 350DX I believe).
MIG is easy to learn and easy to use, but you are more limited in what you can do (unless you are a really good welder and in that case- this is all out the window). Someone else also pointed out that it is not easy to learn to do well- That is going to take practice and a little skill. If you can afford it, get somethign bigger than a little "econo-box" type deal with 110 volt inputs, especially if you intend to do any real fabrication or stressed welds.
TIG is more difficult to learn how to make good welds, but you will likely find that it is more flexible in terms of what you can weld correctly. You can also make the welds look really nice and it is far better IMO for doing tack and measure fabricaton (like a set of headers for instance). With a TIG setup, you also need a bench grinder to dress the electrodes- If you do not have that and intend to TIG, you need to have it on the list as well. I recommend getting a water cooled torch if you are going to be serious about this or be doing any really heavy duty stuff.
IN either case, when you buy the rig, get spares. Consumables for the TIG are unavoidable- electrodes, filler rod, torch parts are all going to be a must. For the MIG setup, a few spare nozzel hoods, some replacement tips and so on... Your dealer will be able to outfit you properly.
While it seems obvious, you also need to remember to clean the weld area prior to hitting it with current- remove paint, olis, flamable cleaners etc... I am constantly on my guys at the shop about not properly cleaning the joint area prioor to wedling- it is one of the keys to getting really good welds (appearance and more importantly, integrity).
There are a lot of resources on the web for welding tips and tricks. Probably read them and practice on scrap or get some new material and have at it- You mentioned taking a class; that is going to be a great way to learn and get practice with an instructor offering on the spot tips on how to improve or avoid problems.
Best of luck- let us know what you end up going with.
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