Originally Posted By: bigdreama
Originally Posted By: boraticus
I find it ironic that people buy Honda mowers from dealerships in order to have dealer support. That's the reason I don't buy from dealers. From my experience, anything you need after warranty will be robbery. That is why years ago, I bought my Echo mower from a little chainsaw shop.
The dealers in this town are outrageous. Fortunately, I do all of my own work, even if it's under warranty. The only time it goes to a dealer is if the piece has a catastrophic failure while under warranty, which has never occurred. I'm also the local "go to guy" when a neighbor has an OPE problem. Other than parts, the fix is free. Sometimes the parts are free too if I'm fixing for someone not too well off.
Nowadays, I buy used. Not because I can't afford new. I just don't like paying a premium to own new when I can buy an almost new product for 25% of the price and often less. Another reason for buying used, is not having to pay 13% tax.
I also enjoy getting a great bargain and also enjoy pulling it apart for inspection and repair in necessary. I will sometimes buy something just to fix it and give it to someone who needs it. Nothing like a good bargain and helping someone out.
That is a great argument for the way you do things.
Allow me to show you the other side of the same coin:
I like to buy my OPE equipment from a local full service dealer because:
-They do a proper assembly and inspection.
-If I have a question about something...they provide a knowledgeable answer.
-I like to support local family businesses.
-When I buy a new "whatever" I expect it to perform as advertised right out of the box.
-I like to tinker with cars and bikes, not lawnmowers.
-My time is too valuable to fix something that should have been right in the first place.
The bottom line to my counterpoint is that I feel That I get a better value from a local OPE dealer than I get from a warehouse store.
YMMV
These are both good comments. Bottom line, it is up to the individual which way they decide to go. When purchasing new, I also prefer to buy from an authorized sales/service dealer for all of the reasons given above. But, after the new has worn off and warranty is no longer a concern, I like to do my own service work, unless there is something that requires attention beyond my capabilities.