[Greg Needel]

i had to make a similar decision this summer and ended up going with the miller matic 135


here is what i have learned:
1) variable voltage is a really good thing, much better then set positions. with MIG lower voltage=longer welding times thats about it

2) get gas shielding. the flux cored wire requires the circuit to work back wards positiver though the ground clamp and the ground is the actual wire. the problem is you can;t get good looking welds this way, there is alor of splatter and they are just less quality overall. I use an argon co2 mix 25/75% respectively

3)don;t think you are gonna weld aluminum with it, aluminum wire is way to soft to be pushed through a standard feed hose, you will need a spool gun for that and they run about 700 just for the spooler

4) don;t scimp out, this is one of those cases that you get what you pay for, money saved will defiantly cost you quality and consistency in the welds. this is especially important for auto body work

5) duty cycle, yes it is true that lower duty cycles come with the 110v machines buy for your application it isn;t such a big deal. for example a 20% duty cycle means for every 2 mins on you have 8-10 mins off. now this is alot , for most body work i have done it is spot welding anyway and most welders have a bilt in senor that wont let you hurt anything, so i wouldn't worry too much about it

6)total cost, you will have to figure in all the accessories that you will have to buy to get going. It will cost about 1000 for a decent setup soup to nuts.
1)welding mask: you will want an auto darking one, having used both it is like night and day. $50-80
2) gas and tank: a new 40 lb tank Will cost about $130 filled and will be about $30 bux a pop to fill. standard use is like this 20lbs of gas will last about an hour of welding
3)MIG pliers, must have for cutting wire and there are a bunch of other reasons that you will find out. $15
4)clamps, magnets, gloves, apron, etc. figure about $100-150 in random accessories.

i hope this helps get you started, just let me know if you need any other advice.