AnthonyT

Thanks for your comments.  I decided to buy the 30" John Deere.  The cost was $1,499, which is more than I originally wanted to spend, but I figure I'll have it for a long time.

I'm planning to buy a new snow blower very soon to replace the Yard Machine snow blower that I've used for the past 7 winters.  I was planning to buy a Simplicity L9528E for $1,299 from a local dealer, and decided to take a look at a 28" John Deere, which I understand is made by Simplicity now and is very similar to the L9528E.  While at Lowe's I noticed a Troy-Bilt 3090 snow blower, which is selling for $1,099.  The 3090 has a 305cc B&S engine, just like the JD, and I assume is the same engine that the L9528E is equipped with?  Now I was planning to avoid all MTD machines, given that my Yard Machine has lasted only 7 winters.  But while looking at the T-B 3090, it had a few nice features that the Simplicity doesn't (i.e. heated hand grips, joystick chute control), is $200 cheaper, and I can purchase this weekend with my Lowe's card and avoid interest & payments for 13 months!  I recognize that Simplicity is generally a better-quality machine than MTD's are, but does anyone have any experience with this Troy-Bilt 3090?  The quality appears better to me than the cheaper T-B's that Lowe's has, but I haven't been able to locate any reviews of this T-B 3090.