I don't think you are wordy at all, you should see my posts!

Fluid trainers are the quietest, and have the most "road-like" resistance. These are also the most expensive, and cheaper models will eventually leak. Kurt Kinetic and Cyclops are the two best brands; these will not leak. If you are looking used, don't get the Cyclops Fluid Trainer II (the II+ is okay) -- the II is prior to being sold and is prone to leak eventually. Dirty oil over the floor = one unhappy camper.

Magnetic trainers are considered the next in line - they are fairly quiet, and intermediate in price, but I don't like them because unless you get into the price range of a fluid trainer anyway, you have to adjust them manually. The cheapest you have to stop and get off your bike to adjust -- at least get one with a wire so that you can adjust while on your bike. Usually the adjustment is not continuous and you have about 3-5 distinct resistances.

Wind trainers are the cheapest, and you can get continuous resistance, and also some wind to cool you down! And in the higher end wind trainers, you also get a flywheel effect. They can be very noisy, so many people give them a pass. What I like about wind trainers (besides the wind): less expensive, more portable (you could bring to warm up at events), continuous, and better-made ones will not drown out headphones (watching training DVDs, TV, listening to music).

I got a bang-up deal on a Kurt Kinetic Rock-and-Roll Pro fluid trainer from REI on a closeout -- in their outlet with a 20% off coupon it wasn't that much more expensive than a Performance/Nashbar fluid trainer. Prices vary wildly, and like bikes last years' models are cheaper, so shop around online as well as used.

I am actually "going the other way" -- now that I have the fluid trainer, I want to purchase a wind trainer module for more portability. What I really like about the Kurt Kinetic is that all of the stands (stationary, rock-and-roll) and modules (wind, fluid, and fluid pro) are interchangeable. I only need to purchase the wind module now, not a whole 'nother trainer. (Plus, they are a local company, so it is doubly nice to support them in my case.) Kurt Kinetic Cyclone Wind Trainer -- actual retail $200 or under. You could then purchase the fluid trainer or fluid pro trainer module the next year. There is also a very old Kurt Kinetic wind trainer module that only has one flywheel instead of two, and a light (non-interchangeable) stand, that is really great for portability, and is about $99. I don't come across that much anymore, but that would also be a starter trainer that would be useful in the future.

I've never used rollers, but that is another option that stimulates road riding even better. Retail is usually the same as trainers, but I see them going used for a lot less, since I think most people can't figure out how to use them!

I use Spinerval DVDs -- I've mostly used the Aero base building, recovery/technique, on/off bike strength DVDs, and short training DVDs. I will get more into the road riding and endurance after base building in the winter. I also just got a climbing DVD -- I just got a bike with a granny gear, and figured out it was me that couldn't get up hills, not my bikes. You can join a club and get the spinervals at a discount. In addition to the spinning DVDs, there is a set of yoga for triathletes that I really like, and a set of medical DVDs focusing on rehabbing / strengthening joints, and a Runnervals set. Another option is renting DVDs from mypipeline or another online place. Carmichael training is another set of DVDs, and Joe Friel has some DVDs that look interesting -- I really like his training systems, so I will probably purchase them after I'm done with the Spinervals club. There are also places to download spinning podcasts (some free, some charge), which can be done on the trainer.

Last year I switched entirely to working on my own once I got my trainer (partially since I wanted almost exclusively base building); but this year I plan to go to spinning at least once a week. We have special spinning classes "The Ride" at the Uni gym, which are meant to simulate road riding and advanced road riding skills. I have no clue how "regular" spinning classes work, and how useful they are for riding skills vs. fitness.