I agree with several comments, there is no guarantee of a good unit at any price. Good quality and bad quality co-exist at any price point. And they co-exist from the same manufacturer with higher priced units actually worse quality than lower priced units.
Best advise for a newbie, buy a used unit rather than new. And don't buy from a dealer, they don't know the history of a trade-in and don't care. Either buy an inexpensive used unit to get your feet wet, any brand. Or buy a used high end unit, New Horizon, DRV, Carriage, etc.