[jake_morrison]

When I was a kid I ran a lawn service, and I got all my engines out of the trash.

When the mowers are cheap, it's rational. They get the lawnmower out of the shed the first time in spring and it won't start, it would cost a significant amount to get it fixed, and they have to waste your time and wrestle a dirty lawnmower in and out of your car. So they buy a cheap new one and throw the old one away.

Paying someone is still more expensive than doing it yourself.

[batch12]

If the mower is really kept in the shed then it may be as simple as changing the gas, checking the oil and spark plug, and a little muscle to crank it.

[ilyt]

I'd still think at some point they'd get an electric one...