Well, P&D Enterprises and/or Al Flaherty's should still have the Walther PPX on sale for $600 something. Pistol, 3 mags, holster, and plastic case. That's as decent a deal for a new, non-knockoff, pistol as you're likely to find.
That said, the only real way to tell is to get your feelers on one. Not everyone has the same size or shape hands.
Just about everyone and their cousin will recommend starting with a .22 due to cheap ammo and a tendency to not make fair maidens swoon. If you do go that route, there are caliber conversion kits for the Glock 17, SIG P226, and a few others. That way you can use the same frame but just swap out the slide and magazines. Ususally a better value than just buying a completely new pistol.