My very first home lathe cost me the trade of a $89 pump action 22 cal rifle.
Ranger you mentioned in another thread that you were born 100 years too late.
My Grandfather told me those same words when I was about your age.
He said I should have been a horse trader! :
You take your time and look around.
Check the classified ads on your local internet ISP sites.
I bought 2 lathes from the local ads here.
You might find one that needs a little work. Many things can be fixed easily
and doing that teaches you more about the workings of that machine.
Some things are very expensive to fix. All you need to do is ask here for
advice on which ones should be avoided.
Rule #1
Dad is the foreman!
You'll never see a pay raise or help setting up a machine by upsetting the foreman!
He wants to see your ambitions grow. Trust his judgment.
Yes it is OK to have him read this!
Rick