TOM KAN PA wrote:

From HouseSmart by Lou Manfredini appearing in the USA Weekend Magazine:
Get more from your mower
Simple tips for years of use.
"Many of us are assiduous about car care but slack off when it comes to our
mowers. When they're new, we're thrilled with how easily they start and how
neatly they trim the yard. By the second season, they don't start quite so
easily, and the lawn begins to look rough around the edges. By the third
season, we junk it and buy a new model. (The average lifespan of America's
lawnmowers and other yard machines is no more than three years.) "
How many of you gardeners have junked your mower in the third season? I can see
me telling my wife, "Well honey, the $500 Toro is going on its third mowing
season, time to take it to the curb on garbage pickup day, and buy a new one."
Yeah, sure!

It all depends on how well you maintain a mower, like any other machine,
as to how long it will last. I've owned two mowers since 1978. The first
was a Huffy, purchased from KMart for $95, that lasted 17 years (until I
let someome borrow it, and it was returned broken) and my current mover,
bought at Wal-Mart in 1996 for $150.