Interesting read, and I wish you the best with your red tractor. I was in a similar position (looking for a new tractor) about 15 years ago. Mahindra was one that I considered back then, mostly because my dad had a couple friends who had recently acquired dealerships nearby (in upstate NY).
My earliest tractor experience was also with an old John Deere 2 cylinder (model m which was the predecessor of your dad’s 420). For that reason, JD was the first one I looked at.
Back then, in the pre tier 4 days, JD still offered a line of 40-60 hp tractors with American made Powertech engines. That size is just right for our 34 acres. I compared those JD’s with the Asian-powered Kubotas and NH, and smaller Deere’s, and they stacked up favorably.
I ended up going with the JD 4120, mostly because I got a very good deal at the county fair, which matched the price of anything those others could offer, plus it out spec’d them (Kubota GL4330 and NH TD40?) by a bit.
Bonuses were, the American-made power plant, and the fact that the nearest JD dealer is just a few miles away. The Kubota dealer was about a mile farther and the NH nearly 10. That tractor has been so reliable, that my only visits there over the last 15 years has been to pick up oil filters for the 100 hour changes.
I am very happy, after all those years, with my selection. I am not sure how I would have made out with a Mahindra, had I given them a little more consideration. I was scared off when I found out that they were made in India, which seemed a long ways off to depend on for long range parts support. Both of those local dealers has now folded up, but I did buy my first rotary mower from the one closest to my dads place.
What I like best about the JD, is that there is no other make, that I am more certain of being able to have long term parts support. Aside from a battery, front tires, and oil filters, the only part I have needed over the first 15 years and 1500 hours has been a new starter.