Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hey guys, this is my first post.  I came accross this forum just by chance after trying to research Honda mowers.  This forum looks great for a new or long time homeowner.  I just bought my first house so i'm in need of a lawnmower.  My dad has a trusty old Honda Mower which must be 20 years old now and still runs like a champ.  It's the self propelled version with the blade clutch etc.  Anyways, i went to a local dealer to price out honda mowers and they are way out of my reach new.  The dealer showed me a relatively cheap honda mower (approx. $700 Canadian) and said i could expect a good 8 years out of it.  He has a couple of HR215 models that are discontinued with the higher grade engine that are $1300 Can.  He said my dad's mower has the same engine as the HR215 and that this engine is a 20 year engine with maintenance of course.  He said that the only way you can get this higher grade engine is buy a commercial honda mower, or find a leftover hr215.

Well i've been going through our local buy and sell papers and have found a few hr216 and hrc216 mowers for sale.  Do these have the good engine?  Am i looking for the 5.5 hp engine?  I'm relatively good with mechanics and should be able to tell if they are in good shape by looking at them.  Any tell tale signs of which motor is the better model just by looking at the mower?  Anything i should look for in terms of potential problems with the drive system or overal mechanical condition?  Buying a used mower sounds like crazy idea, but i'm thinking about how reliable my dad's honda has been.  If i can get one that's been used for 2 years, then buy it used and save half of what it costs new, and then run it for another 15 years i'd be laughing.  Thanks for the read guys.

Mike