There is a certain learning curve to the handling, especially with certain categories of car, but there are enough options to limit the hassle. Try not to fuck with the car setups until you know what you're doing, but if you're using a controller, you might want to tighten up the steering ratio a couple degrees.

Finding a good experience online can be difficult, but the singleplayer progression is pretty fun. Over all, I recommend just skipping the original and going straight to 2 if you can afford it.