I've realised that for new entry to crypto as of now ($7000/btc), it doesn't make any sense to purchase altcoin with the current BTC exchange rate.
Chances are, when BTC has a pull back; altcoin will increase in value.
But the capital appreciation from altcoin will knock off by the decreased value in BTC when we cash out to fiat currency.
SOOOOOOOO, the big question is...can I purchase altcoin with ETH?
That may be in your perception but many others may still trade altcoins at Bitcoin price currently, because they believe Bitcoin prices will rise even higher. As for your problem, you can buy altcoins with Ethereum. Some online trading platforms support this. Etherdelta is a decentralized currency trading platform and it only supports coin trading with Ethereum, it is also quite simple to use. I think it is suitable for your requirements. Bittrex and Poloniex also supported this issue. You can refer to more