First time/Small miner reference for getting started.Read through that thread to get a good grasp of what you need to consider before you start mining. I will say that right now you can get used gear for a decent price. That's because if you only consider the current market right now you need low cost electricity to be profitable.
That same market allows people to consider just investing in coins and hope they appreciate in value.Most are significantly less expensive than they were a year ago, heck even a few weeks ago. It depends on the level of risk you want to undertake, your comfort level just holding coins, and whether you believe the market is still going to move upwards within the time frame you are willing to Hold.