A lot of mention of not so cheap guitars that may well be out of the budget range of many. I agree that its probably best to shop around and to look at secondhand stuff. Always a good idea to have an experienced player with you if you are a beginner.
For myself - apart from the large collection of banjos, I play a very old Washburn 12 string acoustic/electric which is great for playing in church and cost me about £100 a few years ago. I also play an early Lakewood which was a bit of an expense new, but which really is a fabulous guitar. I am surprised that no other contributors to the thread have mentioned Lakewood - they make fine instruments and are well worth a look if you have a bit of money to spend.