You shouldn't be concerned w/ 38's gears, lockers, at the moment, the need for these types of upgrades are quite a ways off for you.
While an SA rig would do you best in the long run, an IFS rig will do just as good for you right now, and depending on your area you can often get them $1000-1500 less. Regardless of which type of front suspension rig you get to start with, you should start with a stock rig, add some 31" tires, body protection, and go wheel it for a few hundred hours. What you learn with a stock rig will pay large dividends once you move up to a built rig, and help you to build a rig that suits your needs, not copy what others have done. A lot of newbies start off with rigs that are far beyond their driving abilities, and while this may make them king of the easy and moderate trails, they often end up broken or wheels up on the harder trails.
