I suggest going to the local flying field and talk to an instructor for a local club. Granted, each instructor has their own favorites as far as trainers go, however, a trainer suggested by an instructor that will be teaching you is a safe bet.

While you are talking to people at the field and the instructor, ask if anyone has a used trainer setup for sale. If they do, you can most likely get it for about 1/2 - 2/3 of what it would cost new.

FWIW - MOST trainers fly pretty much the same. I highly suggest getting a USER FRIENDLY ball bearing 46 engine for the trainer as it will be highly useable in a second (or later ) plane, where a bushed bearing engine (OS LA series, Thunder Tiger GP series ) MAY have adequate power for a trainer, but rarely has adequate power for a second plane. Three user friendly engines I can recommend are (no particular order ): OS 46 AX or FX; Thunder Tiger Pro 46 and Evolution 46NT By user friendly, I mean that 99%+ of the engines are going to run great right out of the box, require minimal break in and will not require constant "fiddeling" to get to run right and keep running right.

Hope this helps.