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Unfortunately I cannot help you with your question, I haven't found anything cheaper than building your own. And that's going to cost you >200USD.

I do have some advice before you invest in a drone. Buy a cheap non-programmable mini-drone first ~15 USD. Flying a drone is not easy, you'll crash a lot in the beginning and you rather wreck such a mini-drone than a more expensive one. Plus, mini-drones are almost indestructable.

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This is good advice, but if you're fairly confident that you're really going to get "into" quadcopters I recommend starting with something larger like the Syma X5/X5C. They're more expensive (~$50) but far more versatile - can fly outside with a range of 150-200m or more, and are actually quite a bit easier to control because their size gives them stability and makes it easier to see the drone and its orientation.

Definitely a good idea, and you should do the same if you are going to buy a DJI Phantom Drone too.

I've been pretty happy with the Hubsan X4, and it stands up to abuse fairly well. I'd hesitate to recommend anything much smaller than that, as they tend to be a bit harder to control.

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