I will chime in with Tim and Bird, the single most important issue when buying a CUT is the dealer. Actually, the same advice applies to probably every major purchase we make. You buy a tractor once, it gets service (both normal and warranty) for a lifetime. Long after the tractor is paid for, long after the glow of newness wears off, long after the satisfaction of getting a good deal is forgotten, you're left with the you, the tractor and the dealer.
(1.) Identify what you know you want to do with the tractor.
(2.) Identify what you think you might want to do with the tractor.
(3.) Visit all your local dealers, tell them what you wrote down in (1) and (2)
(4.) Communicate with some distant dealers and tell them the same things.
(5.) Talk to other customers of the dealer.
(6.) Pick the dealer with the best reputation for honesty and service.
(7.) Arrive at a price.
(8.) Buy the tractor and implements to accomplish tasks from Item (1.) and, perhaps some from Item (2.)
Notice I did not mention type of engine, tractor color or brand.
While it can be fun and entertaining to debate topics such as engine type, tire types, transmission types, ad nauseum, these issues wont matter when your tractor is out of service, being ignored by an indifferent dealer.
I didn't mean to launch into a sermon /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif, but I've known people who dive right into the technical minutiae of tractors and barely consider who they will buy the tractor from. It's as if they expend all their tractor buying energy on the technical details, run out of steam, or time, when it comes to visiting dealers and figure any old dealer will do. Sometimes they live to regret this. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif