Best advise I can give is to buy from a dedicated dealer, regardless of the brand. A good relationship with a dealer that you can come to know and trust will pay off in the long run when it comes time to have the mower serviced or wish to know anything about it beyond what the owner's manual tells you. I'd also recommend asking the dealership to take the mower for a test drive so that you can get a first hand feel of the mower you are interested in. If you look long and hard enough on this, or any forum, you'll find people that love or hate something about certain mowers, and dropping a few hundred dollars on something that someone else says they like may not be the best fit for you in the long run.
Honda and Toro are consistently at the top of the list of Consumer Reports magazines best, and probably with good reason. Personally, I've had the good fortune of having used Hondas, Toros, Snappers, and Lawn Boys that had rear wheel drive. Each had features I liked, and features I didn't, but I wouldn't have known of them if I hadn't used them first.