Newbie to buy an existing old tank set up or start new???

[BCOrchidGuy]

Loud is a relative term, I can hear water running etc but it's not like being at the beach on a windy day.
One thing you could do to save money is to keep your tank for the first part as a low light tank, a couple of fluorescent lights (marine glow etc) and you can keep mushrooms, sponges (although I wouldn't really recomend them for beginners) and a host of other lower light loving stuff.

The thing I don't like about used is, you can take a look at power heads etc, they look fine but they can die within a few hours, also people will tell you that something is in great shape, you drive over and find out "the last time I saw it it didn't have that big crack in it". Or, "wow lookie there lots of spider webs huh."

You can get a decent 33 gallon/50 gallon set up for close to your $500 budget if you keep your bioload low, (IE NO SKIMMER) keep your lighting needs low, and ask alot of questions before you buy stuff.

Thats my two cents worth.

Doug