# New or Used mower



## Thejarrod (Aug 5, 2018)

Hello All, I'm in the market for a zero turn mower. in general, what are your thoughts on buying new vs used? How critical is it to have that warranty? i've personally never needed to use the warranty on lawn equipment.

Buying used would obviously allow me to get more of a high-end, commercial style mower. I'm cutting about 40,000 sq ft of TTTF. I realize that i don't NEED a commercial mower...but I'm a lawn care weirdo and this is as much a toy as it is a tool.

i'm currently weighing the following, which are all in the $5,000 range:
Used Ferris IS700, 52" deck with 92 hours
New Hustler Raptor SDX 54" deck 
New Kubota Z100 54" deck


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Buy new, get the warranty. That way you know what you have, and can take care of it your way.

Why buy someone else's cast off machine? Used mowers are often sold instead of being repaired.

If the motor or transmission grenades on you, you will be very glad you got the warranty.


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## Vtx531 (Jul 1, 2019)

Do you plan on doing maintenance and repair yourself? I'm guessing not because you are asking about a warranty. If you don't do all the work yourself I would get new. Lawn mower mechanics charge almost the same as an auto mechanic from what I have seen = expensive. It's not so much the warranty that is important for you as much as the fact that the parts on a new mower are new - not worn out yet, and won't be needing replacement soon.

Same with a car right? Would you consider buying a car with 150,000- 200,000 miles? Some people would if they can do all the repairs themselves.


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## bp2878 (Feb 13, 2019)

I always buy used, pretty much everything. I just think stuff cost way more than it should nowadays so I try to save everywhere I can. Let's me buy more stuff. But I also insist on doing all repairs and maintenance myself so buying used stuff doesn't affect me as much as it would someone who doesn't have the skills or means to repair and maintain themselves. I've also had bad luck with warranties in the past. Companies use warranties to sell you on a product then do everything they can to avoid honoring the warranty when it comes time to take advantage of the reason you went with their product in the first place. 
If you are mechanical and enjoy fixing things, buy used and save. If not, buy new but only quality stuff. A warranty is worthless if it isn't fulfilled with minimal effort on the consumers part and your equipment isn't fixed and back in your hands in a short amount of time.


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## Thejarrod (Aug 5, 2018)

Thanks For the feedback. I am comfortable doing all the maintenance and minor repairs myself. but if the engine or hydros crap out it would need to go to a dealer. 
To stick with the car analogy, I"m looking for one with 25,000 miles, not 150,000. 
I plan on checking out a few low hour mowers to see what kind of vibe I get. 
thanks all.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Thejarrod said:


> ...To stick with the car analogy, I"m looking for one with 25,000 miles, not 150,000.
> I plan on checking out a few low hour mowers to see what kind of vibe I get.


Agree - it wouldn't bother me to buy a nice low-hour used machine. That first year depreciation curve is pretty steep.


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## mdmack (Aug 21, 2018)

Ware said:


> Thejarrod said:
> 
> 
> > ...To stick with the car analogy, I"m looking for one with 25,000 miles, not 150,000.
> ...


I am with ware on this one. Nothing wrong with a low hour used machine as long as you know what your looking at. Any abuse is usually pretty obvious with lawn equipment and the commercial machines are typically built WAY better than most consumer machines.


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## Thejarrod (Aug 5, 2018)

Thanks everyone for the input. i ended up buying a Ferris IS700 with 95 hours. after i bought it, i sent it to my local ferris dealer...which was then shut down due to COVID-19. so they gave it the normal service and checked it out, but cannot legally send it back to me because they are forced to close. 
please remember that your local shop still has payroll and rent. So support them. if they are open, send your equipment in for service. pay them for their work, buy something new, or they will not be around in the fall.


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