When I was looking for a tractor and browsing old posts on different models I considered I found that many people who who purchase a higher priced machine tended to mention resale value, whereas those who were looking for the best value for their money didn't. For example, people who purchased the JD 990 didn't mention resale value, but those who purchased a 20 series tractor mentioned resale value. This is quite humorous, as there weren't any resale value statistics on the new 20 series for which to base their conclusion. The same thing held true for those purchasing the Kubota GL series, instead of the L series. People purchasing the GL mentioned resale value, people purchasing the L series didn't.
I could have spent an extra $5000 or more on a tractor to do the exact same things my tractor currently does, that would have had a higher resale value. I also would have lost more money in the process. A $25,000 tractor that loses 20% of its value has lost the same amount of money that a $20,000 that loses 25% of its value loses, $5,000. If the $25,000 tractor loses 40% of its value over a set amount of time, and they do, it has lost $10,000. The $20,000 tractor would have to lose 50% of its value over the same time to lose $10,000 off its value.
IMO, if you look at the number of tractors sold by any dealership that offers new and used units for sale you will find that the majority of them sell far more new units than used. I live in rural Eastern Kentucky, which is loaded with tractors of all makes and sizes. You simply don't find that many used tractors for sale that aren't a couple of decades old, unless they are new tractor trades, of any kind.
Posts here at TBN seem to back up my assertion, as most TBNers have purchased new tractors, rather than used.
Tractors tend not to be purchases like automobiles, which are kept for a few years, then another purchased to take its place. Tractors are only traded or sold when they reach the point that they no longer do what we want them to do. Usually this means that someone wants a bigger tractor, smaller tractor, or one with different features. Very often if the tractor is paid for it isn't traded in, but is kept for use as a second, third, fourth tractor, etc.
What I liked best about my 4110 is of the tractors I tried out, and I tried out a lot of them, the 4110 was the only larger CUT that had the feel of weight and stability of the utility sized tractors I have been used to using on the farm. The 40 HP range larger CUTS from the other manufacturers felt way too light, and would slide when applying the brake to stop them in a flat gravel parking lot. That told me that when stopping on a hill with the weight of an implement to push the tractor I could easily end up at the bottom of a hollow. The 4110 was physically the largest of the 40 HP CUTS I looked at, and was much bigger than some of them. Things that I would have to pay extra to get on some of the machines was standard on the 4110.
I've got a nice tractor, paid what I consider a good price for it (especially given what came standard on the tractor), and it does what I want it to do.
Most of all I am thrilled with my purchase a year later, and that pleases the person that counts, me. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif