kip1717,
I understand, we all have a budget we have to adhere to when making high-dollar purchases. But to be honest with you, I personally feel like with a 3/4 acre lawn to maintain you would be better off spending $2500 on a "high-end" lawn tractor that on a "low-end" zero turn mower in regard to the longevity of the purchase. If you can find a local Husvarna "dealer"(I recommend staying away from the big box stores like Sears, Lowes & Home Depot), see if they will come down enough to get you in a YT42XLS(I can say that Husqvarna makes a very good lawn tractor and this one is an example of that quality). The MSRP for this LT is $2,599 but believe me a lawn mower "dealer" is no different than a car dealer and they WILL "negotiate" from the MSRP. This mower has a "fabricated" deck(very unusual for a lawn tractor and an indication of the "high end" quality) as well as a Kawasaki engine(right now the most dependable small engine for mowers on the market). Below is a link to that mower on the Husqvarna website. Check it out and see what you think:
Husqvarna YT42XLS - Garden tractors