When I was first looking I needed to trench to install an underground electric service before winter. There wasn't much time and the need for a hoe to trench to a specific depth limited my choices in tractor size.

I whacked the budget down to a comfortable level with a used mid-80's Ford. Going used often doesn't make a lot of budget difference in the long term. Compacts sure do hold their valves (Mine was more than the new price I think). There's almost always a hidden several thousand $'s cost in the first year called the 'Dread Previous Owner' factor (Roger Loving's term). And, of course, a used tractor is just nearer to the hours you start expecting to have to replace things and mid-80's things may start becoming obsolete.

Over the long term owning and operating a tractor probably costs about the same per year whether it's new used or gray market. The choice mostly changes when things have to be paid for. Useds, Grays and 'smaller ones' do reduce the first year budget though. With a gray market tractor there may be downtime finding and waiting for parts, time for trips to distant dealers and lower resale value. With a smaller one you just spend more time doing the work for the next few decades. These things should be counted into the average annual cost of owning a tractor too. Having said all this, if I might still have bought my used Ford even if I had a different budget.

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