Most clubs have an instructor and a club trainer with the buddy box to teach new people. Only thing they may ask is for you to buy your own fuel if it's a glow powered plane, that's what we did at my club.We didn't even ask the new person to join the club until they soloed.
Stay away from the net when buying stuff, new or used. It takes some time to know if it's something good or not and most new people get had when first entering the hobby. Most club members have items for sale and other members can tell you if it's any good, usually listen to the instructor.
Today a lot of people are using electric planes for trainers so you may not even need to buy fuel.