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[Nick W]

the on;y advice i would give is invest in a good set as the cheap ones if you have no experience are crap and are not starter friendly(bird shit lol).i always said with a good set i could teach anybody to weld in 10 mins....well the basics anyway 

I fully agree with all of that.

A small DIY machine with a disposable cylinder is an awful thing to use and makes worse welds. And that is with practice; if you've not had any, you will be on a hiding to nothing.

I did the part time restoration course at Maidstone college as I wanted to be shown various panel beating procedures, use their bigger machinery and get some proper tuition for oxy-acetylene welding with which  I was really struggling. Doug sorted my problem in under 5mins(too much oxygen, and using the wrong part of too big a flame for anyone who is interested) whilst the others played about with MIGs. The instructions for that were "It's set up for the thickness of metal you've got, hold it like this and pull the trigger. Move the torch about as quickly as you'd draw with a felt tip, and I'll see you in a minute". In that time, some of them were astonished to learn that they'd welded 2 pieces of metal to a 'standard' that would pass an MOT! Basic MIG welding really can be that easy.

Most people who struggle with it are not using/don't have enough power, or are moving at the wrong speed. Fixing such problems is seriously counter-intuitive, especially on thin sheetmetal. Having someone who can demonstrate a better way/settings will save hours of grief. And lots of consumables! Using a proper cylinder with CO2/Argon is essential. Cheaper in the long run too.

As for TIG, it's the last type to buy. Oxy acetylene is much more useful for general workshop use, and far cheaper. Being able to get fasteners redhot first saves hours of messing about drilling retapping etc, especially on things like exhaust manifolds. I have had a decent AC/DC machine for several years, and have never found a use for it for anything actually on the car. The metal has to perfectly clean and fit exceptionally well everywhere, before you start welding. Doing floors, sills and other structural repairs with one are purely vanity jobs in my opinion.

[Marks DTM Calib]

For me, I have a different view to Nick W.

Mainly because there are some hobby MIG welders that are pretty good and very useable.

I personaly would go gas last due to the annual charge on the bottles and the initial purchase price, you need to be using it regularly to get it to be cost effective.