Mahler Newbie

Which Mahler symphony should a Mahler neophyte begin with? More specifically, which symphony should a neophyte with my music tastes begin with? The common recommendation seems to be to start with the fourth and avoid the sixth like the plague until you’re more settled in, but here the advice is to screw the naysayers and start with the sixth if you like 20th century music. The Beethoven table given matches favourite Beethoven symphonies to recommended Mahler starting points, and my favourite Beethoven, the fifth, is linked to the sixth as well.

Hmm. Advice?