Firstly welcome to Flying,

The Excel 2000 is an awesome trainer in my eye's i had one, if for instance it was a 10 knot breeze Tomorrow the plane could almost hover in the air almost like a kite it is a very forgiving trainer the only thing i found that let it down some was the front wheel the plane wanted to tip all the time so i was always bending the front wheel forward.
Acouple tips if you have not already gotten an exhaust extension get one (Only $7) because the oil from the engine will spill onto the wing and tail & over time you will get sick and tired of whiping the plane down everytime you fly it, Secondly if its within your Budget get RealFlight G3 or any flight Sim PC game for that matter for those days that you can't get out to fly due to wheather or your instructor doesnt show up for any reason atleast this way you can always keep your fingers finely tuned.

I Wish you all the best and many happy years of flying ahead of you.

Happy Flying
Paul