Yeah, go with the Vpi... If nothing else, it will hold its value a little better. I have a Michell, actually the '23 Transcriptors with the Onyx arm. The lift off dust cover (which I prefer... Lower the attached lid when playing; a raised cover is a noise and distortion antennae) was easier to find than a drive belt. The Vpi is a more well known product with a bigger aftermarket. The only thing I would suggest is staying away from the Uni Pivot arms on a first TT., and factory support from Vpi is at hand. As to cartridge start out with a MM like Ortofon M2 series, Black or Bronze, or another high quality unit...Clear Audio, maybe. I recently purchased a second hand "upgraded" (many MM can move up with a stylus upgrade) Nagaoka, which has proven to be impressive. And since I've been disposing the disposable income on these things for 50 years I have a nice collection of Shure V15's (The real money goes to JICO), Most MM carts utilize a replaceable stylus. Which, in a way, becomes something like tube rolling. and it's set up set up set up.