Hope this doesn't turn into another one of "those" threads.

I've never owned or flown a SPAD, never even seen one fly, but I personally just don't like the looks of a corrugated plastic plane. There are many people that are fanatical about them though, and they do have a couple of advantages over a standard trainer; primarily they're inexpensive and relatively durable.

As FrankC29 mentioned, a new guy just starting out IS likely to have trouble building a plane from scratch, even a SPAD. And as far as I can tell, it's only going to save you about $60, the difference in cost between the materials to build a SPAD ($20 to $30), and the cost of a trainer ARF (I see the Tower Trainer ARF on sale pretty frequently for $79). But if money is really tight....

I don't think durability is a real issue either, IF you're going to have an instructor. In my eight years in this hobby I've never seen a trainer crash while on a buddy box, and if your instructor doesn't let you solo too soon, there's no reason a balsa trainer won't last for years.
Dennis-