If you've never kept short tails before, get a hatchling for sure so you can get the feel of the species and know what to expect. If you like Sumatrans, go for a Sumatran. If I personally had that kind of money, I would do one of several things. If you're looking for some high end morphs (maybe not the best idea since it'll be your first?), ultra breits (Borneos) are the coolest! In terms of bloods and black bloods, Kara at bloodpythons.com has some phenomenal animals!
I've had this page bookmarked on my computer for a long time. Talk about high end Sumatrans!
http://bloodpythons.com/cms/index.ph...rtus-cl03.html
Take a look at some of Kara's other stuff, also check out Keith McPeek (thebloodline.net). You can also search classifieds sites (faunaclassifieds.com, market.kingsnake.com, etc.) to get a feel for what you like.