Can't really give you any advise regarding the Garmin Area 510, assume you already did some research yourself and if that's the one you like best or suits your needs best then go for it. Alternatively you could go and ask your/a CFI for advise, or maybe the fellow pilots at your local flying club. Personally I preferred teaching my students "old school" navigation (e.g. pilotage and use of radio nav, especially VORs) before using GPS. It's also a very good idea to always have a navigation backup in case you "lose" the GPS (e.g. batteries go dead, screen goes black etc) and always have a current chart with you!
Perhaps the following links might be useful/interesting for you:
http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/cat...t/?cat=0&q=GPS
iPad, iPhone, Android - from Sporty's Pilot Shop
Always happy landings
