Check if there arre any FE/evening classes through the local council/college on offer. I did one ages ago, and it was helpful to get back into sing patterns. But I also learned the basics on an old-fashioned Singer treadle machine in school...
If yu arre planning to buy a secondhad machine, check your local haberdashery shop - they a) may have adverts for machines for sale and/or b) if you bought one of ebay they should know of someone who can check it over for you/does repairs etc.
If you are buying new maybe look for a basic one, but NOT a cheap "Made in People's Republic of China" one, like they often have in the special offers section at Lidl, Aldi etc etc. Go to a bespoke shop, John Lewis for example do have some good quality makes for sale.
Mine is a basic (8 diff stitches I think
) Singer, bought in the late 1990's from an actual Singer shop/outlet. Not sure if these are still around. It does all it needs to do for me, very easy to thread up and I love it! Make sure that any you buy has a "backwards" stitching function, really, really useful.
Have fun!