Between Carrara and Lightwave I'd add my voice to suggesting Lightwave.

Still, since the OP mentioned "modeling" and "animating", I'd rather suggest Softimage.
Less priccy than Maya or Cinema4D (with the modules, which you end up needing soon enough anyway), a pretty strong modeling toolset and  of the best for animation too. And with a gentle learning curve, imho. Besides, For learning 3D as well as offering a fluid and efficient workflow, Softimage's interface is definitely leaving those of Carrara and Lightwave in the dust. Just my opinion of course. :)