The reason I am thinking of the park flyer is because my club (all old timers) only teach one day a week, and if it rains on that your out of luck for 2 weeks with a park flyer I can fly every day.
Does this mean that you are planning to not have an instructor? Well then neither of the parkflyers you described will be good for self-taught. If you really want to go self-taught, I would start with a cheaper 3-channel such as the HobbyZone Super cub, which is a bit more forgiving than what you suggested
http://www.hobbyzone.com/rc_planes_h..._super_cub.htm or maybe even the HobbyZone Mini Super Cub to save even more cash and can be flown in a small field
http://www.hobbyzone.com/rc-planes-h...er-cub-rtf.htm
Both the Super Cubs have parts that can be purchased and replaced very easily.