DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Buying a used honda mower - need help!

2K views 7 replies 2 participants last post by  user1007 
#1 ·
Good morning my favorite web form since buying a new house! :)

Quick question. I need to buy a honda mower but don't want something made cheap from the Depot.

So I'm looking to buy used off craigslist from someone who bought from a lawn mower shop.

Question is: is this a good idea?

I just called honda's customer relations and they said they don't make mowers to the depot's specifications.

Is that true or are they bs'ing me?

They said the same mowers are sold in the Depot as the local lawn mower shops.

True or false?

Thanks!
Marc
 
#2 ·
Why not have the mower shop check it out? Or see if they might have a used one they would stand behind? There must be something different between a box store mower and a real one from a small equipment place given the price spread.

Main thing to look out for is the overall shape of the thing. Is it rusted and corroded. Turn it over and see what the bottom side looks like and whether it has been mowing lots of rocks. You can always get a new one but is the blade all chewed up? Disconnect the spark plug wire and see if the shaft turns without a lot of free play. Does it start? Does it wobble and bounce when running (sign shaft is not true) or just vibrate like a mower should. Is the oil and air filter filthy? If so, this is a good sign somebody did not take proper care of it. Pull the plug and see what it looks like. This will give you a clue as to what the engine is like if way wacked.

The other killer of small engines is ethanol and not much you can do about that but try to keep it out of yours. Buy real fuel in cans (expensive) or from a marine fuel supplier if you have one near.
 
#3 ·
Just called the local honda mower dealer and he said there's no difference in the make of each model - it's just a matter of which models they carry vs the box stores.

They said they carry the HRX models which are premium mowers and the box stores carry HRR and HRT models which are entry level.

So I guess I need to decide if I want premium vs entry level.
 
#4 ·
Well, if you can keep ethanol out of the thing and you maintain it, there is now reason you should not have a premium mower for the life of the home. I honestly do not know how dramatic the difference between Honda's lower and upper ends. Maybe a low end thing will survive for your purposes as well. Cost cutting is not going to be in the engine but in materials for the linkage, the body, etc.

I do know a real equipment dealer will be there for you when something goes wrong and to service the mower. Not so a box store. I think I would at least see what deal the real equipment dealer will cut you. They know they have to be competitive.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I don't even trust nuts and bolts from them. They never have quite enough of what I need anyhow and nobody in an orange apron can tell me if they will ever get more. And there is nothing that gets my blood boiling like fasteners that break! I do not shop in box stores.

Was the deal on the used machine reasonable or too good to be true? Sombebody upgrading or moving? I would not ignore it I guess. I would feel better if a mower place were in the middle of the transaction though.
 
#8 · (Edited)
If it looked like it could work out for you, you could make him a ridiculous offer and see what happens? $200 for any mower 10 years old seems high to me though.

I was a PMT for a SEARS store for a time and among tasks of mine was deciding what to do with lawnmowers we owned. The service and lawn and garden sales folks were awfully quick to pull new mowers off the floor to hand out as loaners at times. We lined a bunch of them up at the end of the season on the sidewalk and sold them for next to nothing since we could not sell them as new anymore. Can you get something to hold you through this season in hopes of such a find come fall?

I restored a little place with a nice yard once and I need a local mower. I had a sharpening and small engine shop near that sold me an unclaimed one for $25. Worked fine although it lacked glamour and status I suppose.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top