The motors last until about 2250-2500 hours. The trannies begin to go at about 3000 hours. A good price for one with excellent paint, 1000 hours or less, and a 50" mower deck (better mower deck than 46" deck) goes for about $2600 here. Some things that would scare me away from a tractor are low tranny/engine oil, large fluid leaks, excessive amounts of rust, lots of broken parts and pieces, large frame cracks, etc. Hope I answered your questions, and feel free to ask more.