MakerGear makes great printers. Amazing customer support and they even have an IRC channel on Freenode where you can interact with the chief maker.
http://www.lulzbot.com/en/86-assembled-lulzbot-prusa-mendel-...
Lulzbot is another good option.
I recommend building it yourself. It will be much easier to fix stuff when it breaks if you go that way. You can buy a kit from the above companies, or if you want to source parts from different companies, check out Ebay and Emakershop.com.
If you have an extra $900 I'd recommend the Replicator. The extra size, dual extruders, and preassembly are a huge upgrade. Being able to print support materials will give you huge flexibility and the Automated Build Platform on the ToM is no equal for a bigger build table.
I'm happy with the ToM and might try the dual extruder at some point.
My only concern about the Replicator would be the fact that it is pre-built. The MakerBot assembly instructions are horribly out of date and can be misleading. The software UI is kind of flaky. The support documentation is not very helpful and is filled with errors. I'd be very concerned about buying something preassembled by that crew. They seem nice, but more focused on being hip than "Six Sigma".
That said, I'm happy with my machine so far. It's fun to be on the bleeding edge of this tech, but if you buy, be prepared to get your hands dirty fixing and tweaking the machine.
Feel free to contact me offline with any questions! jflaherty@replicatorinc.com
Yikes. I'd be concerned about buying anything at all from that crew.
If not, then an original makerbot would be a good first unit. From what I can tell, great community support which will help you figure out what you need.
As a person who has built their own CNC from a kit, I can tell you that these things are not like "printers for things" as much as they are a really complex tool that you will need to learn how to calibrate and use just like any other hobby.
I've had my CNC for 6+ months and only now am I getting to the point of getting usable (detailed) results from it. Mind you I'm milling PCB's which have a relatively low margin of error, but still.
Machining is it's own hobby (or trade, or profession) and takes time to learn.
Also look up if there's any hackerspaces in your area and join their mailing list/forum. I met a number of makerbot, reprap, and CNC owners this way in my city.
You might consider trying to buy a used Makerbot less than full price, and then buy the new Makerbot in a year when the kinks are worked out.