Well I think as a newbie you're bound to get bored with the SV at some point (probably within a year) and wonder what else is out there. Also, you'll likely drop the bike while learning. For these reasons, I would recommend that you get a used bike. You'll likely be able to sell it for about what you paid for it when you're ready to upgrade.
Having said that, we bought a new SV for my wife after she passed her MSF course. She did drop it, but fortunately I had installed frame sliders, and the only damage was a bent lever and scratched bar end. She ended up not sticking with it, so now I'm riding the bike. I must say that it's a real hoot, even for someone with 30+ years of riding experience on a lot of different machines. YMMV
Having said that, we bought a new SV for my wife after she passed her MSF course. She did drop it, but fortunately I had installed frame sliders, and the only damage was a bent lever and scratched bar end. She ended up not sticking with it, so now I'm riding the bike. I must say that it's a real hoot, even for someone with 30+ years of riding experience on a lot of different machines. YMMV