So the old mower has the following problems:
1. self propelled system does not work
2. engine leaks oil
3. engine quits - will not continue running

this mower has a better quality engine than the new mower that you are looking at. My opinion is to figure out what is causing the problems. (1) If the transmission for the drive is broken, get the new mower. If a cable is broken, this is worth fixing. (2) Use some engine cleaner to clean around the oil leak - find out where it is coming from. A drain plug seal or gasket is probably worth fixing. A crankshaft seal will take more time to repair and probably is not worth repairing. (3) the stalling could be fuel related (carburetor cleaning) or ignition (coil or sparkplug) related. This is probably worth repairing.

If all three problems are minor, you will probable be looking at 50% of the cost of the new mower.

The mowers you mentioned are basic mowers designed for homeowners. The models with fewer cables and gagets will last longer. The self propelled models are light duty. Chokes on the troybilt and husqvarna work different than your current mower and you may need to learn the best starting technique.

@ bluemower - Thanks very much for reply!

Absolutely would be easier to decide on this, if I had better knowledge of the old mower's "ailments" :).

The challenge is finding a person/shop local to me who knows Hondas and is willing to honestly assess the condition of my mower for the problems you listed above.

Some big shops in my area don't have the best reputation with customers. They tend to push sales of the equipment they carry, rather than stand behind decent repair service.

Contacted a few smaller places I found via Internet searches today, which say they can service any mower make/model. I'm asking directly whether they can repair/rebuild older Hondas.

Hope #1 is for the HRM215 to be repaired at affordable cost - and before the front yard becomes a meadow. :-)

I do agree with what you said, that the old mower is several notches in quality above most of the basic push mowers available. Decision-making is tough since I really want to avoid being "penny-wise and pound-foolish" and end up with a new mower which turns out to be a throw-away in a few years' time. However, we've only had two mowers since 1987 (a Craftsman and then the Honda), so I don't have any experience on how quality's changed among the different brands. Labor outsourcing, materials used, all those things have been impacted while the companies chase profit margins...

If a new TB130 or 7021P would run me $250-$300 before tax, what's the prudent "break point" on repair costs for the Honda to where you'd say, go buy a newer mower?
If the repair expense tipped the decision, what push mower would you steer me toward?

Is there a middle price range that significantly pops up the quality, or is there a lot of hype in the mix?

I know residential-grade mowers lack the sturdiness of their commercial "big brothers", but perhaps there's a brand or two which has more consistency throughout its product lines?

I'd be grateful hearing whether there are particular features that you'd swear by paying more $$ for, which help performance or life-span of the equipment, vs. optional stuff that creates more maintenance hassles than it's worth.

Sorry if prior reply was too wordy (tldnr) to get replies.

I'm trying to get an appointment for week of May 6th for a mobile mower-repair company to check the HRM215 mower. Above the cost of a tune-up/blade sharpening, how much $$ is too much to sink into this mower for repairs on a.) the oil leak and b.) the hard-to-start issue, if either requires additional work?

(Not needing the self-propel fixed at this time.)

I'll need to know ahead of time if the quote to fix is higher than what's sensible, given the age of the mower.

Thanks for any guidelines on repair cost limit to watch for.

The grass is growing. In your case just buy a new mower.

Rosemallow -

Thanks for the recommend. I was blessed that my neighbor mowed the lawn for me last weekend with his rider (my son and I shoveled their driveway after his back surgery, kindness begets kindness!), so there's still some leeway until the decision's made. And I can probably borrow my brother's walk-behind if necessary.

My budget dictates trying to fix the old mower before shelling out $300 for a new one if at all possible.

Morning of May 8th the mobile mower repair company is scheduled to come check out the Honda. I did get the HRM215 started the other evening (with only a few pulls) but when it ran ragged and sputtered out, I resolved to work on cleaning the fuel system this weekend as best as I can. I found a post by saxman on using additives, so will buy some and see how it goes.

If anyone wants to advise any maintenance tips for de-varnishing the carburetor, in order from easiest to more complex, please toss in! I'm going to get fresh gas and visit the nearby auto parts store in an hour or so. Might pick up a new spark plug while I'm at it, and hopefully be able to borrow a plug wrench. Thanks!

Sorry for HTML typo - that should be:

"I found a post by saxman on
using additives, so will buy some and see how it goes."

If you spend $300 for instance on the honda hrm215 it will still bea a be a better mower than a new $300 mower it sounds like engine seal and gaskets ,spark plug carby clean parts are cheap but labour could be the killer if I was doing the job . I think parts and labour it could cost $100-$150 but I can't do it I'm in Perth west australia. Goodluck check yutube for repairs easy to