why not sign up for an evening class and have a bit of a play , that way you will get a taste of the welding thing ,,, what I would advise is dont buy a small welder that will do car body work ,, buy something of a decent size that will do a lot of things , once you start welding things together it wont just be car body work , even if its just tools and racks and brackets for your self its amazing how fast your looking for a bit of extra did ,,, think 180 amps range ,,,