I agree that the social parts of it can be fantastic. Some days I'll take 3-4 planes to the field and get 5-6 flights on each one. Other days I'll take one plane and get one flight on it, and spend the rest of the time watching and talking to others..... And have just as much fun as I would if I were flying. It's all part of this fantastic hobby.

Simulators are a great tool, when used properly. One huge problem with using them before meeting an instructor is students can pick up bad habits from simulator that will need to be "un-taught" by the instructor. I've seen this happen more times than I care to count. A student comes to me having flown tons of hours on a simulator not realizing that they were doing it wrong. This is the problem with simulators, they will reinforce whatever you do on them. If you are practicing good flying habits you will get better at those, and the same is true with bad habits too.
Here's a list of some of the "bad" habits one can develop:
1) Failing to keep the plane straight during takeoff run.
2) Climbing out too steep.
3) Not maintaining a constant altitude while turning.
4) Turns that aren't smooth, too sharp, etc.
5) Forgetting that there is a left stick.
6) Not lining up with the runway during landing approach.
7) Using ailerons instead of rudder to make course corrections when landing.
8) Using the elevator to extend the landing when you realize you're short.
9) Failure to learn the signs that a plane is about to stall, and what to do to avoid it, or recover from it.

Ideally the best way to use a simulator is in conjunction with your instructor at the field. When I am with my students I will tell them what I want them to go home and practice on the simulator after we leave the field. This is a great way to help work on areas that they are weak in. When used like this simulators are a great tool to help reduce training times.

Ken