Three years ago I made a terrible purchasing mistake, in conjunction with ol' Wifehorn, who did some research and sent me to Lowe's with a model number of a lawn mower that was a good deal.
It was not a self-propelled lawn mower, and I could see that with my very own personal eyebones, but, earning the respect of dads everywhere who believe that adversity builds character, I went ahead and bought the non-self-propelled mower, which I have regretted ever since.
But I built a lot of character, I reckon.
Yesterday I mowed (we have .96 acres, it's a big lot) with my new (and very last) self-propelled mower. It was 95° and humid, and my weather app said to "take frequent breaks with water in an air-conditioned environment," so that's what I did. No, we're not buying a riding mower until I'm 85 or 90. I got out there and completely soaked 4 t-shirts with sweat. It was
awesome.
Edit: And I'm keeping the old one, it's only 3 years old and I keep machinery in good condition. They're both Craftsman; they both have 160cc Honda engines; and I had to show ol'Wifehorn that they have different model numbers on top, because they look so similar. I'll use the old one for tough jobs, or maybe build a go-kart with the engine. I can prolly get Gregg to sell me a transmission for it.
Edit: At least it wasn't a pink gun. I make purchasing mistakes, but hey - I got cataract surgery on both eyes since then. Why, I haven't bought a pink gun in at least ten years!