I run a Lincoln 180 here at home. Perfect for home/shop use...
Great on body panels, or other thin stuff. You gotta 'get in and get out' quickly on the super light material. LOL
With multi-pass you can get into some structural welding also.
I have an old Lincoln stick, but rarely do I reach for it.
The MIG versatility is awesome! I would personally stay away from the big box stores when it comes to real equipment. Red or Blue is your choice, though.
As far as a plasma? I don't have one at home, but use one at work fairly often on 1/4" to 1/2" plate. Its great on arcs or radius cuts. Overkill on body panels, as was said earlier. Most of the cheap ones wont blow thru anything heavier than 1/4",so save the $1,000.00 toward a good plasma for later, if you think its something you will use.
If you buy cheap stuff...if you really use it, you will buy better stuff eventually. Ive learned to save myself a step, and bite the bullet the first time.
