My advice for the drumset issue (apologies if this is second hand to you; if not, read on):
Definitely consider buying a used kit. For a plain old knock-around, you should be able to find something for 300-500 bucks. Make sure the kit has the rims for the bottom heads; you'll want them eventually even if you think you don't now. Any knick or gouges in the bearing edges will screw up your tuning; if in doubt, take a few heads off and check, particularly the bottom heads, as those can get really abused if they were left off for an extended time. Most lower end kits are mahogany, while higher end are maple and birch. Not because they are better, but because the tonal qualities of those woods are in favor right now. I happen to like the sound of mahogany; you skip a lot of the overtone issues you get with maple. Spend some money to put decent heads on the kit, and spend some time tuning. This is a plug, but just go out and buy an Aquarian Super Kick 2 for your base drum; they are pricey (about $35 for a 22"), but I have this on two of my kits and have put them on about three kits for friends of mine, and they all sound fantastic. Evans also makes a version of this that is nice.
Get a reasonable snare. Metal is fine; the ludwig supraphonic is probably featured on over half of the recordings out there, and used ones are everywhere. Old ones can be pitted because chrome doesn't stick to alluminum (oh, sorry, ludalloy), but they sound great. Avoid cheap CB snares and the like; a snare is 50% of your drum sound, you need to be able to crank it up tight and have it sound good. Check the snare throw-offs.
Get a good throne. This can be a big source of noise and a wobbly one will adversly affect your playing.
The big thing is cymbals. With drums, good heads and good tuning can make just about any drum sound okay, but a cymbal will only sound like what it is. It's sound will never get better, there's no way to change it. Every 'major' manufacturer (Zildgian, Paiste, Sabian) has top and bottom-of-the-line cymbals; just because it has there name on it doesn't mean it's any good. Cheap cymbals will sound cheap, and they'll break (well, they all can break.... but that means you're using the wrong cymbal or the wrong technique). New cymbals can be expensive; you would probably spend at least $600 for a hi-hat/crash/ride combo. Most of the majors sell pre-packs, with all of these packed in one box. A good place to start, if you happen to want those models for every cymbal. Look at used cymbals in music shops; check for cracks or keyholes (an elongation of the hole you mount the cymbal on) - both mean that you will have to baby it, and it's days are numbered. Be aware that buying cymbals off the internet is touchy; most drummers would never buy a cymbal that they had not heard personally. Zildgians can vary widely, paiste is generally considered to be more consistant (again, this isn't bad or good, just worth considering).
finally, don't skimp on your pedals. These are your only connections to hi hats and bass, so you should be comfortable with them. This doesn't mean spending a lot of money. Different pedals feel, well, different, and some systems will feel more intuitive to you than others. I had a DW chain drive with a round cam, and tried it for months, but it never felt right. Switched to a $20 speedking, and it all fell into place. so don't worry about spending a lot, just find a system that works for you.
