just go to your local shop and they'll help you out. or check out craigslist or ask around and find something someone's getting rid of--there's really no reason to go out and buy a brand new setup unless you don't know anyone who skates. not that there's anything wrong with buying a new setup of course.
I've just been getting into it again and made pretty good progress since July I guess--just know that skating is incredibly difficult and has a really steep learning curve. it's really fun and a good use of any down time--it's awesome cause you can spend hours just dicking around in your driveway. I recommend first getting really comfortable riding around and then use youtube videos to get an idea of how to do ollies and other stuff eventually. it took me a solid 2+ months to get a moving kickflip and I still am nowhere near being able to do them consistently haha.
as for certain brands, basically everyone has their own opinion. I'm still pretty new to it, but I think that there isn't a huge difference, people just align with what they've had from the start and shun those ones that they've had some odd bad experience with. more seasoned skaters will probably have legit reasons for their affiliations, but for beginners like us it really doesn't matter.
make sure you get good shoes! it makes such a difference! vans eras are pretty standard but you might want more of a mid top or something; it's really personal preference though.
