If you are interested in pre-WWII Lugers I would suggest you buy one of those, the whole old-gun game is about what appeals to you personally. The WWII guns are reputed to be slightly stronger and use better metal, but many people successfully shoot the older guns.
The most plentiful Lugers are commercial versions built roughly 1920-1930 by DWM. Plentiful = lower price. The commercials are almost always chambered in .30 Luger. That cartridge is more expensive and best purchased via the internet, I have yet to see anyone carrying it in a retail store. There are also many older 9mm guns. I saw a fair to good condition all matching WWI Erfurt this weekend at a gun show for $900.
Sources are the two Lugar boards, reputable internet sellers like Simpsons and Legacy (there are others), gun shows and retail stores. and finally the auction sites. IMO I have listed them in order of utility to a newbie. Guns shows, retail stores and auctions are a jungle with many overpriced/ lower condition specimens, but the occasional find can be had.
Simpson deserves special mention. They are full retail in price, but have a stellar reputation and a big inventory. I view them as you pay a slight premium for selection and piece of mind that the gun that arrives will not surprise you in a bad way. They do have very good 'shooters' from time to time but the good ones go fast. They had two fine WWII era shooters at $995 and $1,200 recently; sadly I did not act fast enough and missed them. IMO they have some good DWM shooters right now.
You pose a very good question re: asking if .30 beats the gun up less. I would say that is probably correct. I believe 9mm and .30 Lugers are exactly the same action, the only difference is the barrel caliber and the chamber, so it stands to reason that a .30 gun has been stressed a little less.
My own experience is I have an all-matching shooter and a mismatched shooter. Both function well, the mis-matched one may even function a bit better (I bought it from a forum member who also works on Lugers, Tom Heller). The mis-match has an older DWM toggle, which I think is kind of neat. It functions great.
Patience and knowledge are key. Get the knowledge here and via books, and be prepared to spend a few weeks and maybe more looking. Good luck and good hunting.
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