Hi, I'm a solid intermediate snowboarder who would finally like to buy his own gear. Just need a basic directional freeride board that I can carve with -- no half-pipe or tricks. Question is, should I try to buy gear from someone from Craig's List (I live in Manhattan) or Ebay, or should I go to the shop and get something new -- and money's pretty tight. I also get the impression that I might really need to try on a few pairs of boots and maybe even strap into the boards with them to really get the right idea, which will be a lot harder to do if I have to make an appt to go to some guy's apt just to try on one pair of boots.

Help?

-Gabe