The local dealer sold me the 828LXE for $1,249. He assembled it for free and is shipping it for free to my house (about 10 minutes from the store) tomorrow by 11am (before the storm). He kept the gas out of the machine after assembly so I could come by and make sure it was brand new and never used (sorry, I don't trust dealers until I've done business with them at least once - I've had more than one new car dealer try to sell me a car "just off the truck" with 150 miles on it).
I know I gave a bunch of you a tough time about the Craftsman, but if it wasn't for my persistence to get more detailed information out of you I would be blowing with a Craftsman tomorrow instead of the Toro. I'll update this topic after the storm hits and I clear it with my new toy.
It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!
--Friedrich Nietzsche