Corey, welcome to the club! You have made the right decision to join. Not too long ago I was in a similar position--I really wanted to get into flying, but the avialability of rentals made it nearly impossible for me to fly.
I joined up here and asked lots of questions, and before you know it I became a proud Cessna 150 owner.
Take a look at this (rather long) thread to see how my airplane buying experience went.
New Member. Help me buy my first airplane. Everyone here was quite helpful and I am very happy with my purchase.
I would probably take a flight or 2 in a Cessna 150 or 152 prior to buying one to make sure that it feels comfortable to you.
