Drysuit - for an economy drysuit, hands down the Bare Nex-Gen is the best made economy drysuit. To compare suits, turn them inside out and look at how the suit is made. Most of the drysuits out of southern CA are made using a sewing machine to punch thousands of holes in the drysuit then coating those holes with AquaSeal. The question is not "Will the suit leak?", but "When will the suit leak?"
Rock boots or Trek Boots, vs. turbo soles or rubber boots. The advantage of the attached "sock" foot with the Rock boot/Trek boot/Chuck Taylors is more pronounced in a trilam drysuit than in a neo drysuit. For a diver to move in a trilam suit, the suit has to have extra room (baggy fit). When diving you might find yourself looking under a ledge where your feet are higher than your shoulders. As such air in the drysuit will move to the legs and feet of the suit. With the vulcanized rubber type boot, the legs of the suit once filled with air can extend off of your feet. Not a comfortable position to be in. Effectively, you've lost an engine. Your fin is attached to the boot of your suit, but your foot is no longer in the boot. Rock boots or Trek boots greatly reduce the risk of this happening.
The other big advantage of going with the sock foot is that you are better protecting the water-tight integrity of the suit. The part of the shoe you are walking around on, the rock boot or trek boot, is not the water-tight part of the suit. The boots are easy to replace when worn out while the rest of the suit stills has plenty of dives left.
Fins - get the suit and boots sorted out, then try on fins. Also depends on the type of diving you do. If you are diving locally, ScubaPro jet fins are really hard to beat. Great price point and by using a little McNett UV Tech, the fins will last forever (I've had a pair of AquaLung Rocket fins for over 30 years). If your foot in the Trek boots is too big for the JetFin (size 10 is the largest that will fit, even using Silicon Spray in the foot pocket), try the XS Scuba Turtle fins.
Hoods - you could consider adding a dryhood if you are ice diving. Keeping your head dry and warm will greatly extend your dive time and safety. If you really want to stay warm, you can add an argon inflation system, drygloves and a full-face mask. With the SI Tech Dry Glove system, you can replace the glove with a rubbermaid heavy-duty (blue) kitchen glove from your local grocery store when the gloves wear out.
Thermals - if you save some $$ on the drysuit, you might want to spend a little more on the thermals. If you can survive the winters in WI, you know how to stay warm in a cold environment. Same rules apply to drysuit diving. Thinsulate works well even if it gets a little wet. Good ski socks with sock liners will keep your feet warm. Thinsulate drysuit boot liners are a little warmer, but add bulk around your feet. Layering your drysuit thermals also works. Using the a good bottom layer like the Bare SB Systems Base layer will help wick moisture (persperation) away from your skin before you get in the water - that said, the coldest water temp dive I did felt "warm" when I first got in the 38'F water (near Anchorage, Alaska in December one year). Air temperature plays a big part of making your choices. If the air tempature is well below freezing, you need to stay warm in the suit out of the water as well as in the water.
You can get a good new set-up for under $2K. Staying under $1.5K for a new set-up you'll have to make some cuts on the thermals and accessories.
