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What I can do as a consumer though is to shop for the best deal that I can find. </font>
Speaking as a tractor buyer since I have no businesses related to the tractor industry, all I can do it relate my experiences to you.
First, I only consider tractors from dealerships that are well established, have a great reputation, have a fully staffed shop with factory trained or certified repair people. I do that because I buy tractors that I expect to last for a long time, but I also expect that anything mechanical can and will break so I want QUALIFIED people who are TRAINED and KNOW what the heck they are doing when my tractor is broken. A big parts department is also high on my list. As is a lot full of implements and tractors of various styles & sizes. All those things tell me that the dealer is invested heavily in his business. So I go in and look at the dealer. If the dealer doesn't have my approval I don't even bother to talk to a sales guy.
I am really **** about my research, I generally know, with only some modest level of doubt, what I want. I don't claim to be an expert, but if I know I want a small frame tractor I won't let him upsell me to a left over large frame unit at a great price. I make out my TASK list well in advance and I figure out what the tractor will be doing and how much it will be doing of each task. For example if the tractor will be used for mowing, bush hogging, tilling, and FEL work then I figure out that it takes 3 hours to mow, I mow each week for 32 weeks so I will put about 96 hours a year on the machine mowing. Then I look at bush hogging and realize that will be done about 3 times a year, at 4 hours each time, so that is 12 hours per year. Then I look at tilling and realize that a 1/2 acre garden is going to be tilled 2 times a year, and it will take a couple hours each so that is 4 hours a year. And so on . . .
Now knowing that I am not perfect I know the above is only ESTIMATES but it is a decent baseline of tasks. So now I can look for a machine that will do those things. So I look at bush hogging and realize that is really a fairly small job each year so I know I don't need get the biggest heaviest tractor to hog the fields. But I see that mowing is the majority of what I do so I lean my decision criteria heavily on that task. Now if logging was your big job then you'd have different criteria, but you get the idea of how to estimate.
With my estimates, I will look on the internet for machines that might fit my criteria, but to be blunt, I'm only going to look at the brands I can buy in my area, and that have dealers that met my criteria above. So while Brand X may have the "perfect" tractor, if the dealer is a used car lot with tractors as a side job, then I'm sorry but that tractor brand is going to be overlooked because the dealer is someone I won't trust. So I have my 2, or 3 or whatever number of good dealers in my area, so I look at only those brands. And within those brands I look only at the tractors that are going to suit my needs. And then I go into the dealers to talk.
When I go to buy a tractor, I am a SERIOUS buyer. My checkbook is in my hand or in my pocket. I am going in to buy, they darn well better take me seriously, if they don't I walk. Now I've done this a few times so now I can do it over the phone with two different dealers, but both know if I call for a tractor or implement, they will make or lose the sale in that phone call. I also don't get emotionally attached to any brand. I will tell you that I love my little New Holland, but I also know that a Kubota would do the same job! So if the NH guy screws up, there will be a Kubota or a Deere or some other brand in my garage. In fact that is how I got the NH because the Kubota guy screwed up.
I suggest you do research, limit your choices to only the ones from good dealers, be realistic about pricing, and be serious when you go into the dealer, but make sure they know you are serious, make sure they know you will write the check on the spot, but also make sure they know they will see your rear end walking out the door to their competitor's store if they don't treat you right. Tell them you want to develop a long term relationship, that you want to be able to trust them for service, for future implement sales, etc.
