I bought a used 1988 model STX38 in 1996 for $950. Used it for two years and upgraded to an LX188. Sold the STX38 for $500 to my FIL who used it until this spring, so it's now 25 years old. It still ran good and doesn't smoke and the deck/metal/hood were in good shape but the front axle was worn out and it was hard to steer. We got him a new D105 and I brought the STX home....found a used front axle on ebay in perfect shape for $75 and also replaced the deck gauge wheels (they were 25 years old and worn out). Also did a tuneup, filters etc and buffed out the paint - still has some scratches but looks pretty good. I mowed part of my yard with it a couple of times to check everything out and I was amazed at how much it ran and felt just like it did 15 years ago. Talk about well-built, especially for a "lawn" tractor. I listed it on Craig's List yesterday for $500 and you would have thought I was giving away free beer. Had three offers for full price within 4 hours. The first folks that called came from over 70 miles away and they were super-happy to get it. I can't comment on the black deck STX's but the earlier yellow-deck models were well-built machines. Just keep the front axle greased as there is no way to rebuild it!