Jerrold, Welcome to TBN.
I priced several brand tractors at our local farm show last month. I looked at LS, Mahindra, Case, Massey, Kubota, and Deere. One tractor I priced was a 3616HST cab and I was quoted more than the price the OP mentioned.
A week after the show I bought a new LS XR3037HC Cab with a QA loader bucket and a 7'6" snow pusher blade. It is HST. I paid less than the cash price the OP quoted including State sales tax I had to pay not being farm exempt. The LS also came with more factory installed options the other brands would have charged extra for.