Just this summer I bought an early-2000s John Deere L150 with the Briggs 20hp V-Twin engine and a 48" deck, which was a $2400+ tractor when new... for $200. It wasn't running when I bought it, but I brought it to my local small-engine guy, and it turned out that the transmission needed a new fan and one of the pushrods was bent due to overheating (apparently it's common with these -- crud like wet grass or mouse nests build up on the cooling fins and the increased heat messes up the valve guides in the head). Another $350 in parts and labor and I have a perfectly-running Deere. I highly recommend this route.
