Don't take it personally, mate; these old guys can come across rough, sometimes---but I assure you most of them mean well.
Lots of experience and good knowledge to be learned on this forum, but if you're not careful, it tends to come in the form of a hammer to the head.
Just part of the fun, I guess.
Sounds like you've got a good plan for a rifle. If you decide against the "aught six" and plan to shoot on a budget in the future, bear in mind that not all cartridges have great in-store ammo availability. It's nice to be able to go to Wal-Mart in just about any state and get a box of soft points for well less than $20. You'll only get that with "boring" cartridges like the .30-06, .270, .308 (my cartridge), &c.
Other good cartridges like the 7mm-08, .25-06, 6.5 Swede, &c. aren't always going to be as "boring" to shop for, unfortunately.
Also, once you get back stateside, go to a gun store and cycle the bolt of the guns you're thinking of buying. You want to like the feel of the rifle's action and how it shoulders. Personally, Savage isn't my favorite (though you'll never hear a dispute about their reliability from me). It's just a matter of taste, based on how the bolt feels to me. You might decide you don't like it as much as you thought you might; maybe not.