I had a same trouble when I tried to buy my first tractor. It was a kind of adventure, LOL. There weren't options good enough for me next to my home, so I started to search on the internet. Then one of my friends recommended a
best garden tractor of all time. Talking about Cub Cadet XT1. It's just perfect for my lawn. I used it almost three years and had no problems. It's fast and shiny and it cuts grass really good. OP, if you have not found tractor yet, you can choose this one - you won't regret. It's better than buying a random tractor from your sneaky neighbour, I think.