So a life long ambition is to learn the Piano, however I'm pretty over whelmed with all of the information thus far.  Right now I'm just trying to find a good weighted keyboard in the sub $500 category.  Wondering if anyone has any suggestions / could provide me with some guidance

I would look for a good used Alesis QS8 or QS8.1. They are a little outdated by today's standards, but they still sound great for what they go for these days and have the weighted touch sensitive keys you're looking for.

Cheap starter instrument that is good enough to get you to play frequently.

Books. Lessons. Books. Lessons. Books. Lessons.

Good luck!

It didn't dawn on until now, but if you look on Craigslist in their Musical Instruments section of For Sale, you can usually find a decent older upright piano for a couple hundred bucks, or less.

The more I think about it... the more the Flashback is appealing to me http://www.pass-4sure.me . The Tone Print options make it more appealing as well.

Got a few days off... will be headed to the two local guitar shops and giving the TC line a workout before I make my final decision.

Plan on a lot more to get it working and in tune.

I bought a Casio CDP-120 a few years ago and it's pretty cool. Weighted keys was my first priority. I think I got it for $400.

If you buy an old, $100 piano, it'll need atleast $1k worth of work.

I would strongly suggest a good used acoustic piano. Who cares if it's a little out of tune? The old upright sitting in the entry way of my house isn't perfectly in tune, but I can still teach scales to the grandkids, explain chord structure to the wife, etc. I've seen it 1000 times...aspiring musicians think if they go out and buy top of the line equipment it'll make it easier to learn this just isn't so in most cases.

   I would stay away from keyboards until you have advanced a good ways. I say this because keyboards with their built-in transposers have a tendency to become crutches because those playing them can program them so that everything is in the key of "C". One of my good friends and musician buddies who learned to play by ear, in any key required, started playing a keyboard and transposes everything to C or F, wasting all that hard-earned learning.

 As far as learning goes the suggestion I give people who want lessons from me is to buy a beginner's book and go through it. When you finish that get the next level up and continue until you hit a wall then find a teacher.

   Good luck!