wetsuit help

[zacstutts]

I live in Wilmington, NC and surf at Carolina Beach. The water is starting to get colder, but I have never lived here in the fall/winter etc here so I do not know how cold it gets. I need to get a fullsuit to use until the water warms up again but I do not have enough money to buy different thicknesses to use during different months as the water gets colder. I need some advice on
a) what thickness I should be looking for
b) what price I should expect to pay for it
c) the absolute cheapest place to get one

Thanks.

[Driftingalong]

Unfortunatly one suit isn't going to cut it.
When the water temp. dips under 50°F, you'll need at least a 5/4 w/hood, boots & gloves. So, you may just have to skip the coldest months.
A full suit is probably the most versitale for only owning one suit. You'll probably want to get a 4/3 or a 3/2.
Generally a thicker suit is gonna cost more. However, a better made 3/2 can cost you more than a cheap 4/3. You're probably looking at a couple hundred bucks. You can find cheaper stuff online, but that can be sketchy (the suit needs to fit really well in order to be effective).

I'm up in OC, MD. I've only got a 3/2 full (and boots and gloves). I'm currently looking at getting a 5/4 or 6mm w/ hood for the winter.