On the other hand, installing GOS gets rid of this issue. I'll likely still buy a Moto if I have the option of installing GOS myself. I wouldn't trust Moto to not add something to a pre-installed GOS.
You can go with GrapheneOS. Currently, it's only Pixels supported. GOS and Motorola have a partnership and GOS on a Moto should be available in 2027.
I installed GrapheneOS on a Pixel for my dad along with Sandboxed Google Services so I know you don't have to fully degoogle with GOS. The good thing with this setup is Google only gets the info you allow it to have.
Sandboxed GS can also be installed in a second user profile.
Mullvadvpn is my vpn of choice. Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora are the recommended distros if using Mullvad.
Mint isn't for everyone. A lot of picking a distro, at least for me, is will it work with the services I want to use.