Are John Deere's STX38 any good?

[Mal AC]

Im looking for a newer lawn mower that is a little more dependable. I only have about $300 saved up and i seen an STX 38 for $300 or b/o. Are they good little mowers? my father has one but his is falling apart (due to lack of maintance)

 

[pjbci]

We had one with a yellow deck that lasted forever. Infact i think its still running for the guy i gave it to. On the otherhand my aunt had one made a few years later that had a black deck. It was built a lot cheaper and gave her a lil trouble every now and then. But still i think 300 for a stx38 is a decent deal for a mower.

 

[MIKE R]

We had one. Great mower. It would always start first try even after sitting all winter. I would get another. Wish it was never sold.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

my brother has one he bought brand new in 1994? Still runs flawlessly.

 

[plowindeeper]

We have a 95' black deck second what pjbci we use it every now and then but not in the last 2 years,

 

[fgross335_2210]

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!