Damn.....didn't even know it was still possible to play WoW on dial up. Bliz canceled support for 56K years ago so I just figured it was impossible. Then again dial up itself it extremely rare now. Bottom line is I don't really think you should be playing any kind of game online with that kind of connection.

In any case in regards to patches there's really no way to avoid a long ass download time with that kind of a connection. Best bet is to follow Juu's suggestion as far as the patches go. As for factions it's a matter of preference really. Your going to have good people and idiots on both sides but from what I've seen a ton of newer players lean towards Alliance. I've encountered more elitist pricks the few times I've played Horde but in the end it's a preference call more than anything. Same with a class. Look at your playstyle and pick a class and then look at the racial skills for the races that match the class you what to play and decide from there.

Also a few quick notes. If your playing off of a trial then Dranei and Blood Elves will not be open to you. You need BC for those. As a result this also locks you out from making a Horde Pally or Alli Shammy. As for DK's forget it. Trial limit cap is 20 and even if you were able to hit 55 you would need both BC and Wrath to even play one.

In any case if you improve your connection and get a full version of WoW anytime in the future feel free to look me up on my server. All my character info is in my sig. I'm always willing to show newer players the ropes and teach them a thing or two ^_~