Hi Mate. Squire Strats are great for learning on. I know lots of people who have started out with a Squire and went on to be quite famous and shit-hot guitar players. I bought a friend the same set up second-hand for £70 quid and i thought that was a bargain, so i would say go for it as that is a great price. A new string will be about a quid for a single string but bear in mind you could buy a complete new set of strings from about £4.50.