I would just get a good work horse machine first off. Not the base model, but somewhere a bit higher than that. An overlocker is handy as well. I have Janome for both of mine and have been very happy

If you buy from a sewing machine store they should be able to help you with your choice. Also they will often have a free lesson with the machine purchase. Some are quite good for dropping in and just asking a few machine related questions after the purchase. They are especially good for buying the needles from, as you can just point to the machine you have and describe what you will be trying to sew.

There are few threads around for beginners to do with what to sew etc. Not sure if there is one for tools, I know there was one ages ago on recommendations for a sewing kit.