Sounds to me as though the LX279 would be better suited to your application. If you were to tell me you had more acerage and needed to tow things and needed a higher ground speed then I would steer you towards the GT.....but you don't. Also, the 42"C two blade deck flows much better and bags better than a non-power flow 48" three blade deck. The liquid cooled Kawasaki is without a doubt a better engine...beautifully quiet....but there is an occasional maintenance aspect to it you don't get with an air cooled engine. You also mention that the LX has been one owner and obviously maintained very well. My guess is it's had an easier life than the GT. A GT just by the nature of it's intended purpose will likely have been living a harder life. For your application I don't think the big heavy duty transmission or the larger wheels do anything for you....you just don't need them for your application. You'll also get one of the nicest and quietest engines ever put in a lawn tractor. Also keep in mind that the LX series used the TuffTorq K62 transmission. While not as heavy duty and high ground speed as the GT transmission, the K62 is way more stout than anything you'll find in any other lawn tractor today. Based on your criteria I would be leaning towards the LX 279. BTW...I have 2000 LX255 ( same exact machine only mine has a 15 HP Kohler CV15 air cooled single cylinder engine). I've had it since new and it's been 100% problem free....but I do maintain it very well.

Thanks for the response. I might have missed the LX279 opportunity as the seller is likely selling to a friend.... but I asked him to contact me if that deal falls through. In the meantime I'm trying to learn as much as possible to figure out what I should be looking for. It appears there are many models that would be an excellent choice for my application so now I just need to be patient and look for an example in excellent condition for a decent price :).