Hi! New to the community, new to 3d printing, new to all of this.

I am heavily considering the Prusa Mini as my first printer.

Want a brand that is a good citizen in the 3d printing community and Prusa seems to be on this list.
Want a high quality printer to begin my adventure with that doesn't leave me guessing if it's my lack of skill or a lack of quality hardware.
Want open design to enable to tweak and improve the hardware/software as I see fit.
Linux user who wants full Linux support in the software stack.
I want to spend as little as possible on my first printer (still want high quality) because I see myself spending a lot more fairly quickly if I enjoy this as much as I suspect I will. Fortunately I can spend what I need to meet my current requirements but keeping cost down as much as possible is the goal.
Enjoy tinkering with hardware and software. Have a background in electronics and Linux system administration.

Would you agree that the Prusa Mini is a good starting spot considering the above?

The pricing I see in reviews etc seems to be lower then what is currently being offered on the Prusa site. Do they often have sales or specials or is this just because the cost of production has gone up? I see reviews that indicate a price of $349 but it's going for $429 on the Prusa site currently.

Should I consider adding the filament sensor and any extra build sheets? Filament from them or elsewhere?

Anything I am missing or not considering?

Any and all feedback is welcomed! Thanks ahead of time!