Had two for the home and 3 for the biz over the years. Yes is the answer as pay me now or pay me later thing.

But if you are after a machine to mow the lawn and not tow something around a better bet is a zero turn mower. EZ Trac 7245 Zero Turn is base $3599 ( hunt around on the net you can get that down but warranty work is a consideration ) and it will blow the doors off any riding lawn tractor.