When I was a kid I had a couple of buddies who played drums. It looked like fun, so I harassed my parents until they agreed to rent a drum set for me to learn on. To avoid taking lessons (I hated piano lessons), I said I’d learn from my buddies.
I mainly learned by listening to records (yes, I’m that old!) and getting a few pointers from the aforementioned friends along the way. I probably played that set for 6 months or so before I got sidetracked and went in a different musical direction.
That set of drums was a rent-to-own situation where if I’d stuck with it long enough, I’d eventually have owned them (or rather my parents would have!). It made a lot more sense than buying a set outright since my parents knew me well enough to know that it was very possible I’d lose interest in them after a while.
Buying is not a horrible idea because music gear is pretty easy to sell used for a decent price. There’s a thriving market on eBay for used music gear, for example. I still think rent-to-own makes sense for drums for several reasons:
You’re establishing a relationship with a local music store
You don’t have the hassle of selling them if the need arises
If you stick with it through the life of the contract, you own a nice set of drums that you’re already used to
Sure, you may decide you need a better set before the contract runs out, but in that case, the store will generally apply what you’ve already paid toward a new, upgraded set.
The upshot is: by going rent-to-own you can get a good set of drums to learn on without the expense up front and you can start out with only what you need and build from there. It always pays to get the best gear you can afford because it will last longer, play better and sound better. It’s hard to maintain interest in learning when you’re having to fight the instrument. The good news is that there is a lot of fine equipment available for very good prices these days.