If you really want to start playing Oud right away and don’t have a lot of cash, your only option is a factory built Oud like those from
www.arabinstruments.com. A few of these might be playable. It is hard to find good information about these Ouds. From the videos that I can see online, these appear acceptable for beginners. At the moment, there are not any quality mass produced Arabic Ouds. They may need a proper set up in order to become optimized. With these Ouds, at least they will allow you to learn the bare basics so that you can upgrade later.
Have a look at that. Inspiring, Isn't it ?