If you find another horse there should be no hesitation in buying it. Any of them will eventually have seal problems. I own a 7 hp horse from 1987 bought from the factory store in Troy, NY . In the past 25 years I've replaced axle seals once. The key is taking the wheels off periodically and keeping the axle greased. Buy reinforced tines if your soil is rocky. Clean Cutter is a good after-market supplier at reasonable pricing.