You are right about the CX not holding you very long. There is nothing about flying the CX that will really translate later into flying a collective pitch helicopter with a tail rotor, other than contolling something in the air with your fingers So if your ultimate goal is to fly "real" RC helis, it would be money wasted and better off spent on a simulator.

I started with a Blade CP and had it about 5 months before I got tired of replacing tail motors and the 4 in 1, and it's twitchy tail. It was a nice cheap heli to get started with, but I still ended up spending several hundred more dollars in repairs before I mastered hovering and flying it. I moved up to a Trex 450 SE and spent about $1200 for a complete package with all the high end components and a nice radio. I've never looked back. The Trex is so easy to hover compared to the Blade CP. But I don't think I'd want to start there due to it's incredibly sensitive response to the sticks. A beginner would probably have a hard time with it, especially without help from an experienced pilot. But it can be done. It is a real beast. When you move the sticks hard, it jumps immediately in response. I've got around 100 flights on my Trex and only 2 crashes.

Whatever you buy, you are going to crash it. I would highly recommend a simulator. I balked at a simulator when I started, as I couldn't see spending $200 on a sim when my helicopter cost $225. But after crashing repeatedly while trying to hover, I finally broke down and got RealFlight G3. After a couple days on the sim, I was able to hover the Blade CP through an entire battery without any problems. So if I were you, since you aren't into it yet, I would go out and buy a good simulator now, and start flying there. Then when you master hovering both nose out and nose in, go get your first heli.

I'm not familiar with the Walkera36, Raptor G2, or Corona, so I can't give you any advice there. There are probably some good deals out there on used gear, but being new to the hobby, you could end up buying a nightmare and never know it. Then, the first time you fly, it goes out of control because of some problem, and you crash thinking it was you. With new equipment, you know what you are getting and you gain the experience of building it, taking it apart, rebuilding it, and setting it up. A big part of RC helis is becomming an experienced heli mechanic as well. Properly setting up some of the heads on these helis can be real intimmidating for a beginner, so used stuff over the internet could come to bite you in the wallet. I would stay away form used gear as a beginner, unless you have a friend that flies and is experienced, that can check out something that you buy used over the internet.

Good luck in your adventure.....

Doug