the problem is not only the cost of great pressings, but the shoe leather it takes to find them. and how to know condition without buying 5 or 6 to find a quiet one. putting together a great collection of vintage early pressings is borderline impossible unless you can buy a collection already already curated.
so buying a great cartridge and buying easier to source new and more available used is more real world for someone starting out. you still get great sound.
but if given a choice, i would rather have great vintage original pressings and a modest cartridge than a great cartridge and new pressings. but it’s not a choice most of us can ever make.
i would caution anyone jumping into the Tom Port 'Hot Stamper' cauldron blindly without first doing their homework. and knowing what is what takes time and effort.