My dad's a blacksmith so while I have been surrounded by welders all my life I've never owned one myself
A MIG welder is probably your best bet. Argon from choice, CO2 if it's all you can get. Avoid gasless MIG it's cr@p, avoid manual arc as it's good for big fabrication but is a little harsh for car bodies. (Though I've seen my dad weld thin sheet with his inverter welder turned down real low so it's possible. He's been doing it for 50 years though.)
I would suggest you look at the components the welder is made of before you make your decision. For instance the wire feeder. Is it plastic or metal? If plastic avoid. Like all things you get what you pay for so look before you leap. I can recommend the SiP MigMate range, they're well built for the price.
If you have the space and want a bargain, check out your local machinery auction. There are loads of older MIG sets around of the type that come on a big trolley and give you a hernia to move around. When they hit the salerooms they often go for silly money, people want smaller kit these days. So if you have a few tenners and don't mind a retro welder, it's worth considering. However even if they are built like tanks they'll have had 30 years of use so assess the condition before you buy. My dad paid 20 quid for a Norman Butter last year to sit alongside the identical one he paid many times that for in the early '70s. Needed some servicing but for 20 quid you cant complain. So now we don't change cylinders from CO2 to argon, we change welders
A MIG welder is probably your best bet. Argon from choice, CO2 if it's all you can get. Avoid gasless MIG it's cr@p, avoid manual arc as it's good for big fabrication but is a little harsh for car bodies. (Though I've seen my dad weld thin sheet with his inverter welder turned down real low so it's possible. He's been doing it for 50 years though.)
I would suggest you look at the components the welder is made of before you make your decision. For instance the wire feeder. Is it plastic or metal? If plastic avoid. Like all things you get what you pay for so look before you leap. I can recommend the SiP MigMate range, they're well built for the price.
If you have the space and want a bargain, check out your local machinery auction. There are loads of older MIG sets around of the type that come on a big trolley and give you a hernia to move around. When they hit the salerooms they often go for silly money, people want smaller kit these days. So if you have a few tenners and don't mind a retro welder, it's worth considering. However even if they are built like tanks they'll have had 30 years of use so assess the condition before you buy. My dad paid 20 quid for a Norman Butter last year to sit alongside the identical one he paid many times that for in the early '70s. Needed some servicing but for 20 quid you cant complain. So now we don't change cylinders from CO2 to argon, we change welders