I think what you've asked is initially one of the most difficult questions. The reason you get so many different answers is because the answer is totally subjective to the individual. The number of choices available to you is overwhelming, and throw into the mix the various reviews, opinions, comparisons, it's more than enough to make your head explode.
Some people look at tech specs, others at aesthetics, some purely on budget, others only want new, some want
second hand, or it can be a combination. Do you want to buy outright or on interest free credit?
What you need to do is whittle down the choices. What I did was start by setting myself a budget that I will NOT go beyond and then ignore everything out of your reach. After this I tried to get my hands on the rest of the cameras. If I couldn't find one to hold, it went off the list - I wanted to know how they all felt in my hand and didn't want to chance buying blind. Any that didn't feel comfortable when I was holding them, off the list. After that I looked at menu system, switch and button placement, felt odd to operate or buttons too close together for my fingers, off the list.
Once I'd narrowed down my list I had 2 or 3 I was looking at, then it was either repeat the process with the refined list or decide on what I thought was the best compromise. Again the compromise is subjective to the individual.
With regards to upgrading, I've found it's not something that I NEED to do, but something that I WANT to do, again the reasons are subjective and the choices are myriad. Do you need to buy another lens straight away, no. Will you need to buy another at a later stage? Possibly, only you can answer that when you get there.
It can be a very daunting process and it can be difficult to get help because everyone has different opinions. I hope you find the camera that suits you best, not the one that's best for Joe Bloggs, down the road at number 23.
Hope that helps, even if its just a little bit.