A foolomon and his money soon go separate ways. 
ROFL
For what it’s worth, I have found that a uke with geared tuners stays in tune and is nicer to reach pitch over the friction ones on some ukes
One thing about mandolins worth remembering is the shape of the soundholes. F-shapes give a sound with more cut-through (presumably why the bluegrass guys seem to use them, to compete with the fiddles), round ones give a mellower tone (which is what you hear on Zeppelin tracks). This is worth a read, it’s where I picked up most of this from: Mandolin - Wikipedia
I bought a cheapie with a pickup twenty years ago but it’s very solid and plays pretty well. The ones I see these days at the bottom of the range are the biggest pieces of rubbish I’ve ever seen. Then there’s a big jump to the half-serious models. I think I’d go second-hand.
Nice one! I am sure Larry has heard it before though…
Stop stringing him along. 