A few things:
1) Go with something that you'll enjoy shooting at the range and that won't beat up your hand, arm and senses.
2) If you think about warranties and repair, you should stay with the big manufacturers such as Glock, S&W, Ruger, etc. which stand behind their handguns and make getting repairs relatively easy.
3) I've recently fired a friend's Kimber .45 1911, my wife's S&W .357 revolver 3" barrel and my Taurus .357 tracker revolver 4" barrel. The Kimber was the most accurate and the easiest and most fun to shoot. The Taurus next and the S&W last. A friend has a Glock 19 (9mm) which she loves and shoots very well with and our NRA instructor has a Glock 22 (.40)which he shoots competitively and uses as his primary defensive weapon. He said that Glocks just do not break down when properly cleaned and maintained and the others tend to be nearly indestructible as well.
Essentiually, you want something that will be there if you ever need to save your life or the life of a loved one. You want something that will be accurate, reliable and fun to shoot. This does not come inexpensively especially for a tool that you may have to stake your life on and I would recommend that since this may be the only other gun you get, pay the money for either a Glock or a Kimber or one of similar quality.
Another thing you should definitely consider is contacting the NRA and taking their basic practical handgun course which is offered nationwide by NRA certified instructors.
I'm certain that others will have other recommendations and critiques of my recommendations but it's an important choice and should be given a lot of thought.
Thank you for that information and encouragement.