You can get the original re-releases and the new nanos for pretty cheap, but they're pretty bare bone. Check out the Pix, it's the newest release, it's the first color in English, and you can get it brand new for $60, or used for even cheaper.
I'd recommend the P's as they have a lot of built in content and there is an English patch available, and if you're not interested in buying some sort of irDa device a lot of sellers patch themselves,
From what I've heard, the Tamagotchi Friends aren't too great, if you're wanting to play a newer Tamagotchi in English I'd recommend getting a Tamagotchi P, as there is an English patch available.
I've been thinking a lot about older MIA members, it's just pretty crazy to think that there was a time when they closed Tamatalk and never opened it again.