lawn tractor advice, please - john deere 111

[bb2004]

OK gang. I just moved from a small city lot to my new home, with a 1.1 acre lot. Lawn is getting out of hand, so it's time to break down and finally buy that riding mower.

Looking in the paper, I find this used john deere. ad reads as follows: " JOHN DEERE: 111 Lawn Tractor, 38" mower, 42" snowblower, good cond, needs engine work, $500.00 "

Now, I am going to go take a look and am leaning towards buying this one if it looks OK.

Any suggestions on things I should be looking for? I've never purchased (or even used) a riding mower before, so what types of things should I keep an eye open for?

Any problems/concerns with this particular model type? As you can see from the ad, I don't know too much about it. (Model year, etc., completely unknown)

What about things like maintenance? or parts availabiliity etc...?

I am not TOO worried about the "needs engine work" part, as my brother-in-law is pretty handy with small engine repair, etc. and I am bringing him with me to check it out.

Thanks in advance for all the help!

[MY NAME]

Hello, i would look at the blades on the deck that will tell you if they took care of the mower and cared about picking things up or just mowed over them. just remember one thing looks aren't everything but it helps. also check the oil to see if it is changed regularly .