I have Heng Long and Taigen tanks primarily, but am branching out into Tamiya.
When I started I got a Taigen as it was RTR right out of the box and Eric is awesome at providing support. I figured out I enjoyed the hobby after tinkering around with mine. I think as a starter, mess around with tank you can't go wrong with Taigen. Especially if they have something in the scratch and dent sale that you like.
Heng Longs are sort of hit or miss. Mass produced and really a toy grade tank in my opinion. With a lot of TLC you can bring them up to a pretty decent state. With them I feel it is all about how confident you are with your modeling/repair skills. Though they are a great way to learn how to maintain and repair. My nephew purchased a HL Super Pershing on ebay cheap and has had a ton of fun tinkering and fixing the issues it has. It runs real solid now.
Tamiya tanks are full kits. You have to assemble the entire thing, possible purchase a separete battle kit and radio (if you buy a USA kit). For me, I have been doing modeling and miniatures for 30 years+, so it is no stretch for me to work with a kit. This and the price tag though intimidates a lot of people.
As for prices, shop around a ton before you leap and buy something.