I would recommend as the others. Go older, "if" you are willing, and able to work on them occasionally. You may have to pony up when you bring one home, and work some bugs out of it, then you'll have a fine machine for doing your chores around the place.
I used to be nothing but IH Cub Cadet's for tractors, but have found the CCC and even early MTD cub cadets are a great machine, in fact my Cub Cadet 782, and 2372, and bought and sold 1811 are real nice tractors.
Just try and find something with lower hours. Check the rear attachment areas for broken bolts, wollowed out holes, broken or cracked housings...
Ask me how I know, seems I brought in a 1811 that had some of those hidden things going on.
Check out the condition of the residence, and the vehicles they drive, and sometimes that'll tell you a lot about the care/maintenance that was done on the machine...