Thanks everyone for the replies here! I've gotten some good responses.
Now if anyone doesn't mind, what sort of ballpark price should I expect to have to pay for the 61" IS 3000z? Also, do you feel that over 30 miles one way is too far to travel for the dealer?
Also, maybe I confused some of you on the 1000z. Their are 2 different frames. One is a rigid frame (1000z) the other is not (IS 1000z). When I was looking, the 1000z was available w/61" while the largest deck you could get on the IS 1000z was 52" at the time. I was wondering if there were any plans to make it available w/61" as well, maybe for '04 or something?
When I was shopping before, I could have bought a 23hp Kawi 52" IS 1000z for less than what I paid for the Kees. I even drove 200 miles one way to demo one. But the controls were very jumpy on the unit and there were no hills to try it out on down there.
Later on, the Ferris Rep for my area offered to deliver a trailer full of Ferris demo units to my accounts so I could really test them out in my terrain. I declined to do that based on how crappy I felt the controls were on the on I had already demoed.
Turns out that I learned later on, (from a lawnsite member who works at a Ferris dealer) that there must have been something wrong with the hydros on that unit. He described the Ferris controls as being VERY smooth and insisted something was wrong. I ended up feeling that I didn't give Ferris a "fair shake" on earning my business based on that one machines controls.
Ah, enough blabering..... Here is a picture of the IS 1000z.