One Thing to concider now a days is the engines. B&S was once the best but in the last few years Honda has been making the best.
I took mine out of its winter sleep, filled the tank, checked the oil, set the automatic choke and pulled once. Started immediately. Mine is a combination side throw, bagger and mulcher. There is a lot to decide take your time.
Edit: Forgot to say I have a push with front wheel drive.