Need some riding lawn mower advice...

In the near future I'll be in the market for a new riding lawn mower. I've never purchased one before so I don't have any sort of brand loyalty or experience that I'm going by. My yard is about a third of an acre, so not huge, but big enough to warrant a rider I think. It's mostly flat with a couple light slopes, nothing I'd even consider to be a hill.

I know pricing for a good riding mower can get pretty insane if you went all commercial-grade, zero turn and so on. I really don't feel like all that's necessary, but I still want a quality mower that's going to hold up for years though if possible. We've set an ideal price at $2,000. Surely I can find something decent that can handle a mostly flat, third of an acre for that, right?

So I'm looking for advice/recommendations at that price point. I'm open to most any brand. I can say that from just researching online reviews, the two that keep coming up are the Husqvarna YTH24V48FR and the John Deere D140. Between the two the Husqvarna seems like more bang for the buck. The D series JD seems to be their "affordable" models that aren't quite as solidly built as their more expensive ones. Again though, this is just from reading reviews. It does seem like every neighbor I have has a JD of some sort though, not that that's any proper gauge.

Would love to hear words of wisdom or official recommendations from any and all yard pros out there.

Husqvarna. Im in the same situation. Just bought a house on 2 acres.

I have the 140 and love it. It's easy maintenance and feels solid.

Rather than brand, I'll suggest getting a used on e first. Lower price is there's more freedom to try one and see what actual experience teaches you about your tastes. Merge together book learning and experience.

LOL, my 9 year old push mower, that I paid $100 for on clearance from Sears, is starting to sound like the main bearing is shot. I bought it when I replaced my 1974 JD 110. The JD was a good lawn tractor but the push mower is quieter and less maintenance. Plus, I need the exercise now that I am retired. I don't have any advice, I am just enjoying the conversation.