[Hayashi]

My daughter (8 yrs old) is starting piano lessons & her tutor has advised that we buy a piano for her to practice at home.
My wife and I have differing views as to what type to get:

Her view - buy a 2nd hand one, but reputable brand, so that if our daughter loses interest we can sell it and get some cash back. However, we've gone hunting with a friend and the "good ones", by our friend's & shop's estimate, cost roughly about $3000 or more.

My view - get a cheap beginner's model from a reputable shop (eg Yamaha). Problem is, the sales people say that as our daughter gets on we would need to "upgrade" to an intermediate or advanced one. There a models (assembled in Indonesia, parts made in Japan) that are significantly cheaper than the 2nd hand models above. There are even cheaper models that are made in China and sound ok to my untrained ears, but wifey says these have no/low resale value. The music shops have a scheme where we can trade in the beginner's model & buy a more advanced one at a discount.

There's no guarantee that my daughter will continue on. She's taking lessons because she wants to learn to play, but I have no intentions of forcing her to continue playing if she loses interest. She's also into tap-dancing, rhythmioc gymnastics, dance, etc, just to give an indication that she's into a lot of other things besides piano.

So which should we go for? 2nd hand branded, or cheaper new model, but less established brand?

Also, how critical is the heater, & must it be on 24 hrs a day? I live in the tropics and the place where we intend to put the piano is not climate controlled . Humidity may warp the wood eventually, which is what the heater is supposedly to guard against.

Any thoughts welcome. Thanks.