$4000 to spend on lawn/light duty garden tractor

[LBrown59]

UPDATE: Dealer offered $3700 'out-the-door' for the CC2554. Out the door for the CC3100 (50") would be around $4200.

OK so now you can buy the $3900 2554 tractor for $3700 Whoop T Do ya get to save that 20 cents on the can of beans in the grocery store or you can still Buy the $6100 3150 tractor for $4200.

 

[LBrown59]

After all the debateerhaps this is the answer.

 

[oakford4]

LBrown,

My whole point (and maybe that's why it's taken 10 pages of responses here) is that WHY should I spend an extra $500 if I DON'T need it? I may be in the minority on that type of issue, but I've always felt that way. Even with my cars. Give me a vehicle that's dependable and performs no greater than what I need...perfect, and I save $$$. Again, if I need the Cub 3100, I'll go for it. More to follow. I am test driving the 3100 again this Friday. Hope to make a decision real soon.

 

[Baucom]

Having just been through this, but without a cheap 3100 complicating things, I see both sides of the issue. $500 buys a lot of toys to go with the mower, or a lot of beer to drink while mowing. Also, it's your budget, and only you know what will or won't break the bank. However, if a 3100 with a 50" deck had been available to me when I bought, there's no doubt which mower would be in my shed now. It's none of my business, but if you are planning to finance your new purchase Cub may still have 24 mos. 0% on leftover old year models. It isn't listed on CC's website, but my dealer knew about this incentive. At that rate, the 3100 would only be about an extra $20 per month. Truthfully, you don't need the 3100--the 2500 will do everything you want to do with your mower, and it will (should) continue to do everything reliably for the next 10-15 yrs with routine PM. However, for $500 I'd upgrade to the 3100. The 3100 has a 9 ga. frame versus 11 ga. on the 2500, plus it has a heavier transmission, a BDU-21 vs. a BDU-10, and a drive shaft running the deck as well as one running the trans. Not to mention the joy of only having to use one finger to guide the mower around the yard.

Basically, the 2500 is all the machine you need, and it is one fine, HD lawn mower, but the 3100 is pretty much like a baby sub-CUT. As I said before, you can buy either one and rest easy knowing that the new mower you bought will last a very long time and still be worth a good price when you are ready to upgrade. One final thought on the issue--when you get ready to upgrade someday, the 3100 should easily be worth at least $500 more than the 2500, so you should have no trouble recovering the additional investment in a 3100, and you may get even more than that.

 

[VA_Joe]

Having just been through this, but without a cheap 3100 complicating things, I see both sides of the issue. $500 buys a lot of toys to go with the mower, or a lot of beer to drink while mowing. Also, it's your budget, and only you know what will or won't break the bank. However, if a 3100 with a 50" deck had been available to me when I bought, there's no doubt which mower would be in my shed now. It's none of my business, but if you are planning to finance your new purchase Cub may still have 24 mos. 0% on leftover old year models. It isn't listed on CC's website, but my dealer knew about this incentive. At that rate, the 3100 would only be about an extra $20 per month. Truthfully, you don't need the 3100--the 2500 will do everything you want to do with your mower, and it will (should) continue to do everything reliably for the next 10-15 yrs with routine PM. However, for $500 I'd upgrade to the 3100. The 3100 has a 9 ga. frame versus 11 ga. on the 2500, plus it has a heavier transmission, a BDU-21 vs. a BDU-10, and a drive shaft running the deck as well as one running the trans. Not to mention the joy of only having to use one finger to guide the mower around the yard.

Basically, the 2500 is all the machine you need, and it is one fine, HD lawn mower, but the 3100 is pretty much like a baby sub-CUT. As I said before, you can buy either one and rest easy knowing that the new mower you bought will last a very long time and still be worth a good price when you are ready to upgrade. One final thought on the issue--when you get ready to upgrade someday, the 3100 should easily be worth at least $500 more than the 2500, so you should have no trouble recovering the additional investment in a 3100, and you may get even more than that.

Can't disagree with Baucom's logic. He makes good sense. In the end, though, you need to do what is best for you and your pocketbook. Good luck with your decision. It has been a fun thread to follow - let us know what you decide (so we can second guess you ).

Joe

 

[Fordlords]

There may be 10 pages and almost 100 posts on this thread, but if I were a person in the market I would take the 20 minutes to read this thread as it contains a wealth of insight on today's lawn and garden tractors, with real world input from actual owners and users. It's the REAL consumer reports as opposed to the Honda/Toyota magazine -Fordlords-

 

[oakford4]

Yes,

Thanks to all. This has been not only more informative than ANY other source I could find, but FUN as well.

Give me a couple of weeks and I'll post what decision I've made so you all can second guess me (as per VaJoe)!

 

[CCinCT]

Just for the record, I'd pay $500 just to have power steering on my 2544. If that 3100 was available for that price, I would have done anything to come up with the extra cash over the cost of a 2544. I would even go so far as to make my wife get a second job.

 

[oakford4]

I'll run that option past my wife.

 

[keltonkrew]

Just for the record, I'd pay $500 just to have power steering on my 2544. If that 3100 was available for that price, I would have done anything to come up with the extra cash over the cost of a 2544. I would even go so far as to make my wife get a second job.

boy....you guys got it all wrong....that's why my wife operates the CC-2042 (no power steering - but it easy to turn if I remember correctly ) and I drive the Massey GC2300 (power steering)

ok....now just don't let my wife see I put this here or I'm dead meat!

I do have to agree for the $$$ CC gives you more when you get up to the 2K and above series.....