JakCharles,
Fair Warning, in this hobby being cheap will cost you later. The Great Planes simulator is AWESOME. I soloed my last two students on their 4th lessons. Both bought the Great Planes sim and an Avistar 40 trainer, (My advice). I told them to fly all of the planes on the sim. However, I told them to learn the P51 Mustang inside and out. I told them when they could take off, fly and land the P-51 time after time without crashing, they were ready for the field. Each took a month of practice on the sim. One is a realtor and does not get a lot of time to fly, but practices his sim and flies his Avistar. The other has advanced and now owns and flies a Midwest Cherokee 40 powered by a Thunder 61, (it's a SCREAMER) and a Hangar 9 Miss America P-51 powered by a Saito 100. Good luck.