Well the 3016 is my first tractor.
I bought the tractor new in 2011 with a front end loader and the afore mentioned finish mower. The 3016 and the FEL haven't failed me yet. The FEL is an amazing tool that just keeps on going. The 3016 is still new and other than having some awkward routine maintenance issues it's good. For instance, you have to remove the right engine side panel to check the engine oil level. Not a big deal, but it gets old after a while. Also, I've been trying to search for a replacement transmission filter besides the Mahindra brand and it's proved to be a challenge.
I went with the 3016 because of the price and size. I do regret not going for more horsepower as mentioned above.
I'm on 7 acres where about 2/3rds is open field. I'm still trying to decide what to do with all of the land, but in the mean time I'm cutting grass, lots of grass. It's primarily flat land with some swells. I find that the engine RPM's will fall as I'm going up the swells, leading me to think "We need more horsepower here."
I had the choice of AG, R4 (industrial) or Turf tires. I selected the R4 tires because I thought they would be a good compromise given the turf duty and the Michigan winters the tractor would have to work through. As it turns out I now believe the Turf tires would have been a better choice. When I clear snow from my driveway those R4 tires love to spin away. In spring the R4's love to squeeze the water out of my lawn whenever I turn. The R4's look cool but the Turf tires would have been a more practical choice for me.
Oh, one thing I did relatively early was replace the seat. I was getting beat to death if I would hit a bump or rut. I replaced the OEM Mahindra seat with a "suspension seat" from Northern Tool (about $250) and I'm still glad I invested in that. Unless you're going to ride across a 'pool table' lawn, you should consider a seat change. The OEM seat has springs but they are like like valve springs for a roller cam (i.e. Incredibly stiff).
That's about it off the top of my head. I've tried to be as unbiased as I can be. While I wish I had more horsepower in a tractor I also wish I had 100 more acres and a bigger bank account. But given life's realities I have what I could afford at the time and it has proven to get the job done.
Of course, the finish mower is a completely different story. That's a regrettable loss that I'm dealing with today.