Hi Tash, and welcome to the forum, and the world of pinball!  I was in a similar situation about a year ago, embarking on buying my first pin, and lots to learn!

I can say without any reservation that this is a really good forum with down-to-earth people with a passion for the old game.  Don't hesitate to ask any question, as of course there is alot to learn when starting out.  But .... you can and will learn a lot over time, especially by searching on this forum (and other links will come across).

The newer pins (1980s/1990s) tend to be higher priced compared to say the 1970s era.  A useful site is the internet pinball database (http://www.ipdb.org/) where you can search on most if not all of the games produced by the major pinball manufacturers.

Enjoy the journey!