Hi schjssj,
Had to reply to your question. I personally think Realflight was/is fantastic. I had a little prior experience flying a Kadet Senior in circles, with someone to take off and land for me. After I had moved, I got G2 and an Avistar, practiced on G2 for about a month or so, and went out and flew (that was last summer). Still haven't crashed, just a few rough landings on the gear, but nothing that couldn't be bent back right there. I also used it quite a bit this spring before going out again, and with the different planes, variable wind settings, etc., I found it to be incredibly valuable.
there are some other sims which I haven't used, some of the other guys might be able to suggest something that'll save you the $, but as to G2, I think it is great.
Best of luck!