I would stay away from the level 2-3 Monagram etc kits for a while. They are not the best kit for having a good finsh and they do take a lot of work and time.
Start off with a simple Tamiya etc road car with a few decals. These kits are great and you dont have to muck around as much getting parts to fit etc.
Parts go together well and you can end up with a really good kit to get some ideas on model making.