I had an iguana that lived for 8 years. I did 6 months of research before buying it. My parents insisted. Started in a 20G tank, them a custom built enclosure in my, then...my room and In the end, he lived in a custom built "house" the size of a tool shed in our backyard.
They are certainly no joke and not the unprepared. That's why you hardly see any iguanas in the pet trade anymore. People realized how hard they are to tame and how big they got and got rid of them or they just outright died early due to lack of education.
I must have research BP's for 3 months before getting my first one.
I don't know why anyone would buy an animal they knew nothing about.