Originally Posted by VintageMA

I would say go with the nicer body and a more simple (ie: less zoom range)lens to start with. Later on you can always upgrade to a nicer lens (ie: larger zoom range or a "Prime" lens - very high quality fixed lens capable of a lower f-stop at the popular focal lengths of 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 100mm, 200mm, etc) as time goes on.

Check out dpreviews forum:
Nikon D80/D70/D60/D50/D40 Forum
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1034

There's a few threads in there where people make comparisons of the D40, D60 and D80. Usually these people are experienced amaturs or professionals (some have links to their portfolios that are beyond impressive - and you will see as you browse that not all of the most impressive shots are made with the best camera on the market). Take a few nights and read through these threads - just like you would here to figure out the best battery, esc, or motor for a project. Become an educated consumer and then you will be able to make the best decision for yourself - not us making a decision for you - figure out what features are important to you, what features you think sounds interesting, and what features you would never use. This way you buy a camera that you will grow into and be more experimental with as you learn what it can do - and what it can do that a point-n-shoot could never do.

Also - remember you are moving from point and shoot to SLR - so there are no live previews anymore. You have to look through the viewfinder and frame your shot.

Almost all of these cameras have fully automatic modes to start off with so you can take pictures with ease, but as you learn each feature you will be able to figure out how to say - take a picture and intentionally blur the foreground or background of the shot.