Marion, I second what Russ said.
Nylon Strings:
Nylon string guitars are not good only for classical! My friend, leader of the western swing band The Steam Donkies plays a nylon string. And what about Willie Nelson? Have you ever heard a Flamenco player live, I assure you that you can hear them from beyond 3'. Also Segovia never amplified his nylon string and played in big sold out halls.
Nylon and steel strings have a very different sound, and if you can it's good to play with both to see which feels better for your music.
I have a steel string and nylon string banjo and they each have their own voice, I like them both. One thing I've always liked about nylon strings is the soft/loose/flappy feel they have for agressive bare-fingerstyle (styles like Flamenco Guitar or Clawhammer Banjo)
One more thing, I think the tension of a set of steel strings is much higher than a set of nylon strings, Classical guitar tops are built differently and might not like all the extra tension of steel strings.
Eric