Which version should I buy

So I noticed that Fallout: New Vegas was available for 4.99 in the Ultimate Games Sale on Xbox 360 and I figured that I probably should try it since I've heard a lot of good things about it and I enjoyed the atmosphere and mechanics of Fallout 3 (the writing less so).
However, I'm doubting if I'm better off buying the Ultimate Edition on disc, which includes all DLC. If I wanted to buy this version I'll probably spend three times the amount the basic edition costs from what I've gathered. So my question is, how good is the dlc for this game? I have to add that I'm probably not going to play all of the content in this game, since my backlog is huge. So is the base content of the game already really good, or does it really shine in the dlc area?

I never got to the DLC. Hell, I never even completed the game. I made three different characters and for some reason the game never really clicked with me in the same way as Fallout 3.

Edit: Thinking back I actually remember what soured my initial playthough. I was trying to collect those in game trading cards but when I got to the roller coaster town early on the game kept hard locking every time I tried getting that old guys cards. I spent like three hours trying to get those damn cards with the same result. That really pissed me off and tainted my experience early on. Fallout 3 was a game that I could and did play exactly how I wanted to while right off the bat New Vegas was not allowing me to do the same. Ironically enough I played Fallout 3 on PS3 and New Vegas on 360 in the hopes of getting fewer bugs.

Vegas itself was also really disappointing. The area just outside of Vegas on the other hand was really good. Does anyone know if they ever fixed the glitches with the card game? If so I may actually be tempted to make a fourth character to play through again.

There's plenty of game in New Vegas, and by the time I was done with it, I was done with it. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy my time with it, because I did a lot. But going and playing the DLC wasn't really what I wanted to do.

The base game kicks arse and is absolutely no slouch in content. The dlc is mixed but overal pretty good but if you are unsure just get them later if you crave more content.

Thanks for the info guys! :) I think I'll get my fix with just the base game then. Any idea which difficulty is best for playing it the first time? And is hardcore fun/a good idea? I'd like to get a more survivaly experience from it if that's possible.

@demmetje: hardcore is fine tool to sort of enhance RP (ie. You get buffs for eating and sleeping) but it's pretty forgiving. There are mods to make it truly hardcore but I didn't feel I needed those. So yeah I thought it was fun but I try and cook and eat means in a game like Skyrim so it was a nice tie to how I play.

Edit: oh I forgot the most important part of hardcore which is that it gives ammo weight forcing you to make choices about your arsenal. So that's a big survival change because if you want to carry more loot you need to go lighter on ammo, which can be risky.

I found hardcore mode & playing through on hard to be a good experience even the first time around, it should be about the right level since you've played through 3.

Just wanted to throw in my two cents:

The way the DLC is handled is terrible. If I remember correctly, it's all contained and almost inconsequential to your character beyond the hour or so it lasts. You can't even bring in your equipment or friends. Having said that, the 360 version was unbearably unstable for me. I had dozens of hard locks, several scripting breaks, and some other small issues. It seems like I had an atypically bad experience, but most people dealt with some form of instability. I did really enjoy the game when it was as its best, I did finish it despite the constant resets. I've been considering picking it up on PC and giving it another go, I assume the PC version is significantly more stable.

@hatking: Even with tons of mods I only had the PC version crash once in my playthrough of the entire game and all the DLC.

I highly recommend the Old World Blues and Lonesome Road DLCs though.

Dead Money is alright but super frustrating with the pink gas and instant kill collars (ended up using god mode for half of it).

Honest Hearts is definitely better than Dead Money but it's pretty short and you don't get much out of it except some setup for Lonesome Road.

Old World Blues is my favourite DLC and is better than anything in the base game, just watch the Quick Look.

Lonesome Road is the ending the game should have had as it actually relates to the Courier as a character.

You can take your own equipment into every DLC but Dead Money, but your companions are left behind, which is fine because the ones inside the DLC are objectively better.

I'd just grab the base game...It has some solid DLC but the game itself is large enough to keep you busy for awhile...

If you decide when you finish it that you want the DLC then you can find a way to get that later.

$5 will easily buy you 40-100 hours depending how much you want to explore

I highly recommend Old World Blues. Can't speak for the rest of them, as they didn't look interesting to me.

@corruptedevil: That's good news. I'm about 50% of the way through building a new PC and I'm trying to come up with stuff that I can check out on it. I feel like my experience with New Vegas wasn't fair to what that game could have been, so it's definitely high up on my list.

I got the PC version $5 and have been experimenting with mods...if there is any way you run it on decent settings, it's worth it.

Just be warned, the beginning of the game is generally regarded as terrible. A lot of people set aside a clean save right before reaching Novac for future playthroughs because the early game is just tedious.