I've been taking lessons for about a year now. It's been money well spent in my opinion.
For online lessons, I like this website.
https://guitarlessons365.com
I have used Justin Guitar for a few things, and I thought he was a pretty good teacher too.
Gear depends on what you want to play. I bought an acoustic to start and make sure I was going to stick with it at first. After a few months struggling on my own, I asked around for a good teacher. It's been nice to have structure, and it has helped keep me accountable and stay on track.