Welcome from South Austin!
Two quick comments..first is to remember that the cook is more important than the cooker.
My first charcoal/wood burner was a literal POS, but I figured out how to cook the best brisket and ribs I ever cooked.
I just knew I needed a "real" offset rig and when I finally got one I murdered half a dozen briskets before I figured out what was wrong with the layout in the cook chamber.
I'm told that the "real" offset rigs, that cost $2000/$3000 create better smoked meat along with less tending of the fire, but I'm not in that income bracket so I went under $1000.
Lastly, do yourself a favor and buy a moisture meter (under $40 for some on
Amazon) and start testing your wood before you pass cash over to the chainsaw drivers.
Wood with around 20% internal moisture count burns much different and better for smoking meat purposes, than wood at 30% and over.
I'm not here to name names but after buying "seasoned" oak here in Austin and having trouble cooking with it, I tested and found it was still pretty green.
I let it sit for two years before it started burning right and producing the coal bed I wanted.
My opinion is that the 1 million BBQ sellers in Travis and surrounding counties have driven the price of seasoned oak up while reducing the amount of good wood significantly.
You sir are about to become a wood detective, if you want the best fuel that is....