Which equipment to buy...?

So I am finally going to sack up and work on my next project myself... I am going to go buy a welder, and a plasma cutter, and a air compressor instead of borrowing them from friends. I will be experimenting a lot on other metal before I start cutting on the truck just to get comfortable, but I do not know what equipment would be the best to buy? Does brand matter? Any constructive help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys
LATE,
Bigg Mike
Sacramento