soon to be owner gx345

howdy all, about to pick up a 2001 gx345 with 1000 hours im told its a one owner tractor only used to mow . based on what ive seen price wise it seems like a good deal, less then 2 grand. so im curious if 1000 hours is considered alot or more like mid life? of course it all depends on its maintenance but im figuring if someone paid 8 grand for a mower then there likely to have it serviced,or they would have just junked it the first time it didnt start. i dunno thats my logic and im stickin to it LOL. it needs a hood from what i gather and a seat. Based on what ive read these are common failure issues.im going to have a dealer look it over and do any minor things it may need.I read that doing the drive belt is a ***** due to the extreme spring tension, can anyone confirm? im in my 50s and dont really want to be cussing and throwing my tools all over the yard,after slicing open my fingers and wrapping it with papertowel and electricial tape. anyway im just looking for any advise, or opinions about this machine and a good source for parts like the hood, seat, and a tune up kit.
I was looking at used zero turns also. the z757 mainly and some of the amount of hours on these machines were amazing,(can i assume being liquid cooled the 345 should last even longer?) but my 70 yr old mother in law may be sometimes mowing with it and between the step up height and the way it steers it just looked like trouble in the making.
i have read about gator blades is this something i should consider? i live in florida and have bahia grass my current mower will wear out 2 sets of blades a season from all the sand in my lawn. are the gators considered a mulching blade? or should i consider a mulching kit?any help or advise is appreciated. thanks again