Ask the dealer for the build sheet or a copy of. It comes with the tractor showing serial number, build date, options and all the goodies. It will show all important info. I have had my 4300 since April with 150 hours on it and it is the best money I have spent on a major purchase in a long time. The important thing is that the tractor is built after Feb, 2000, as JD changed a lot of their inspections and quality control at that time and my 2 neighbors that have purchased a 4300 and a 4400 that were built after that date are also having NO problems! Good luck on your new JD and have fun!