I'm fine with the x740, but she does most of the mowing and dislikes the "feel" of the larger hood, seat height etc especially for trimming around low hanging tree limbs.
I bought my 455 new back in 1995 or 6 and it's probably the last mower I'll ever need, but it would be nice to trade up and get equal turning radius left to right plus the smoother ride of longer wheelbase. My primary goal is better cut than the 54" deck that I have put up with the lousy cut on heavy grass for years.
My debate now is x740 or x748 with 60" 7 iron or the X750 and the new 54"
The $1000 rebate is intriguing
In my opinion, I do think your better off buying a left over 2012 X7 series, rather than a new 2013. Here is why.
1. The most obvious, the large discount right off the top.
2. It is the last production year, meaning all the kinks and issues from previous years should all be repaired. The last year of any model is almost always the most reliable.
3. Stale inventory. No dealership, especially John Deere dealerships, like to keep stale inventory around. You can use this as a negotiating tactic.
I am very confident the new HC decks WILL fit on the 2008 - 2012 series. We know the current 60'' 7-Iron fits, the new HC decks are direct clones of the 7-iron. In this case, technically, they will have to work on 2008 - 2012 X700 series machines. If you are unsure and don't want to take the chance, order the 7-Iron deck with a 2012 X7, and you have yourself an even better deck than the new HC decks anyways.
Either way, right now it's a win win decision for the consumer looking to buy an X700 series.
I pulled the trigger on my 2012 X740 a few weeks ago, and it was delivered to me last week. Now that I reflect on it, I am extremely glad I landed this last 2012 in my area. I know for a fact, had I passed this machine by, I likely would have regretted it for a very long time.
Remember as well, John Deere almost never offers any rebates on brand new models. The new X7's will be selling for MSRP, and these machines have a $900 higher MSRP than the 2012 units right off the bat. In the end, a 2013 X7 will likely cost you thousands more.