1. Never, Ever, Ever buy a guitar that you haven't played.
2. A new guitar in the 4K range is not difficult to find, nor is it the cheapest. I bought a GB&A for a friend of mine for about 3.5K, and it played well and had very good setup, perfect for a beginner. My beater instruments were in that price range.
3. Used is good: I recently found a solid maple parlor guitar languishing in Albertos - it had come in for repairs, and I played it just for kicks. The look, sound and feel of the guitar stole my heart. I serenaded (literally) the owner for a month or so till he parted with it. It was an excellent buy and an excellent guitar, well worth a few times the price I paid for it.
Some tips for choosing the right guitar:
1. Action: Strings should be at the right height from the fretboard. At the first fret, about the thickness of a business card, at the last fret, not more than three credit cards stacked together.
2. Intonation: The guitar should be in tune on all strings from the 1st to the 12th fret, and should play all tones equally loudly. This is not always possible specially on low-cost instruments, where the first two strings go out of tune at the 12th. But this is not a very big issue.
3. Fit and finish: A well-finished guitar is a sign of a manufacturer having taken some care in putting the instrument together. Visible glue should be minimal, body parts must fit together well, and the guitar should not creak or swivel at the joint. The neck should be comfortable to put your hand around, you should not have to stretch to reach around it. The top should be flat, not wavy - seeing it in light at an angle will help you see this clearly. The tuners should be smooth to turn, not sticky or loose. The strings shold make no extra noise while being tuned - the nut is sometimes not properly lubricated.
Lastly, there are literally hundreds of websites on guitars, and a bit of reading should help you get a little comfortable before you get your feet wet.
Remember that a few hours on a weekend will get you nowhere. Learning the instrument takes practice, so do social service if you want something that doesn't require three or more hours every two days (at least to start with).
And have fun, that's the best reason to learn music.