I just started shooting this winter. I wanted to get a savage, but I couldn't find one in stock anywhere. I went with a Winchester Wildcat instead.
When you are learning to shoot, you don't want to be wondering if your bad shots are because of you or the rifle. It just makes it harder to improve. For that reason, I would go with the savage.
.22lr is a great choice. You can move on to something bigger after you've had thousands of rounds of practice with the .22, for example, I just bought an AR.
I eventually want to get a semi-auto .22 sometime and I might even get a 10/22, but I'm glad I started with a bolt action. It forces you to slow down and think just a bit between shots.
But most importantly, get what you want! A big part of shooting is that it's fun. If you're shooting a rifle you don't want, it won't be as fun.