Brandon,
I know this has been said 1 million times already, but no one can really make the decision for you. A great way to start looking (at least I think so) if you want to narrow your choices, go to
www.wakeside.com, and they have a "Board rating" for each company. This will show you the attributes for each board they carry. Find something that sounds like your style, and go try to find a demo at a shop close to you.
As far as the beginner/intermediate thing goes, just get something you are comfortable with. The ONLY difference between most "beginner" or "intermediate" shapes is years: after about 2 years, a new shape is released, and the old pro boards become the lower-end boards, just renamed and with different graphics. Don't let that fool you, its all hype.
(Message edited by garret_s on March 19, 2007)