As far as tractor dealers go, I bought my John Deere used from an out-of state dealer. I found the exact configuration I was looking for on machinefinder.com and negotiated a price I was happy with over the phone.
The sales guy agreed to stay late on a Saturday to meet us there around 2:00 because we couldn't make the drive before their normal closing time of Noon.
When I arrived, the tractor was even nicer than it had been in the photos. It was all shined up, some paint touch-up had been done, the tank was full, the mower blades had been sharpened, and it was parked out front waiting for us.
It took maybe an hour to inspect everything and take a little test drive. I found some wear in the front steering tie-rod that they hadn't told me about on the phone. I am sure it was not because they were trying to bamboozle me. He had already told me plenty about all the other character flaws and wear and tear on the well-used machine.
Because of the long distance, they wouldn't be able to fix it, so he offered to either a: go 50/50 on shipping me the required parts, or b: just take $100 off the price. I choose b, and the steering has been fine (a little loose, but OK) since.
Another half hour to go through all the paperwork and point out some things in the owner's manuals.
Just to be nice, the salesman gave us a couple of hats and the choice of one "toy" from the showroom - we picked out a mini wheelbarrow for my nephew and gave it to him for Christmas.
He then helped load everything up on my truck and trailer including lifting some heavy stuff up into the truck.
The final really nice thing he did for us was make a most excellent recommendation for a great steak place for dinner that night. By the time we pulled out of their lot, it was after 6:00 on a Saturday.
The trip could easily have been a monster waste of time had I arrived and not been happy with the tractor when I got there. But instead, I thought to myself during the drive home with my new toys in tow that it had been a most enjoyable trip and evening courtesy of the very nice salesman.
I can't say much about the rest of the dealership because I only ever met the one guy, but the one salesman made enough impression for me to recommend the dealer just because of him.
I give my full and enthusiastic recommendation for anybody in the central Illinios area to visit Holland's West and ask for Gregg Pearson.
- Rick
P.S. even though I am unlikely to visit them again, they sent me a Christmas card too.
