Sounds like you might have to travel a little and play the "car dealer wrangling" game to keep this dealer honest. Don't forget that a little extra cost for a tractor from a delaer you trust and want to buy from will likely make up for the dollars in service dividends if you ever need them.
I did pay just under $13,000 for the same rig you describe, then paid $250 for a box blade and received an extra set of tires and wheels thrown into the deal. I had a leak during the first week I had the tractor and the dealer made two round trips at no cost to me to rectify the situation. I could have bought the tractor for $500 less from a dealer 60 miles farther away. As you can guess, I'm not worried a bit about the relatively small additional cost at this point and I do not feel like I left the "money on the table" so to speak.
Get a great price from a dealer that sells volume and would be less likely to service the tractor. Show it to the dealer you WANT to buy form, and hopefully he'll work his way closer and promise top take care of you through no-cost transport for warranty work the first year, or two. This is how he will conteract the lowball price, but make sure you get the extra in writing. Always ask for one more thing before you sign, even if it's an extra set of mower blades, but make sure you are not the only one winning in the deal. If the dealer doesn't make a profit on the transaction, he'll remember you when you need his backing or when you "graduate" to a bigger model in a few year and you are begging for trade-in value. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
