Just got back from driving a L4240 and L5740. At two different dealers. I definitely have a preference for one dealer versus the other - the same one with the above prices and who sold me my tractor last year. He even gave my kids toy tractors without me even committing to anything! Plus the one I like is $500 cheaper that the other. I remember from last year when I called around to a bunch of different places within 200 miles of me, they were cheaper then, too. So, I think my wife and I are going to talk it over tonight and then I'll hopefully be placing an order on Monday. The difference in price from a L4240 to a L5740 was (only
) $5500, so I'm going to probably go for the L5740 and try to not make the same mistake twice and be underpowered this time. I'll do my due diligence and swing by the JD dealership (which is actually much closer) and see how they compare, but I don't think my mindset on brands will be any different than it was a year ago.
As for bells and whistles, I don't plan on getting any for now. I never plan on using a MMM, so I'm not going to get a Mid-PTO. Snow in my part of Missouri isn't typically that bad, so I don't see a need for a blower, sweeper, or for that matter glass defoggers or a rear wiper. If I were to get a radio, I would want Bluetooth, so I'll maybe do something aftermarket someday. I don't have anything that would use rear-remotes, so I'll hold off on those until the day comes. As for a 3rd function, I'll probably add that myself once I ever get a grapple. I had done a bunch of research on adding one to my L3800, so I feel comfortable that I can do that cheaper than the $1K the dealer would want.
As for checking a dipstick on "old iron", I'll save that for someday. I certainly am capable of maintaing something like that, or so I think. For now though, I prefer to have something reliable and cabbed. If I want something less reliable, I can always take my 67 F100 for a spin.
As for last minute freebies, I think I'm getting such a fair deal, I want ask for much. Probably a hat or two. Maybe a toy rider for the kids? They were playing with the one at the store, but I didn't pay attention to how much it was.