Yeah these discussion of what's a better brand always turn into a 'tard' war. As Celtic pointed out people make judgements based on things they may not have experienced, or "they heard" or whatever...
I've actually experienced first hand piles of a certain manufacturers brands come back to an airsoft shop for repairs. Seen their performance side by side. Luckily I get to experience this stuff in person before I make decisions or judgements.
Bottom line is, buy what you can afford and from a place you are comfortable buying. Try to make sure you buy something of decent quality or be prepared to shell out money for repairs. Also a good thing to look at is what are people trying to get rid of in the Airsoft Classifieds. Not neccessarily for you to buy from them, but you'll see what people are selling and the value of it. (FYI right now there are at least 3 major Airsoft Classified scams going on. If the deal sounds too good to be true it probably is. BEWARE)
Just like most things, you do get what you pay for in airsoft.
I always think it's funny when a newbie comes to a strange forum, with people they don't neccessarily know and can't qualify for ther experience and knowledge on a subject.. And basically ask, "What should I spend $250.00+ on".
Unlike when I first got into airsoft information was scarce. But now good info is all over the place. There's many US based retailers, so the info is all out there for you to find. There's tons of info out there on what's the best brand for YOU to get. You can only blame yourself if you buy something that you couldn't find info on.