All of this from your vast experience with your B-series ride-on mower? Wow, I feel so schooled!
Speaking of school, pssst.... the "butt" you repetitively try to refer to has two "t's".
I keep trying to bring the discussion back onto the rails - while you are bound and determined to go off the reservation. From my recent, brand agnostic, shopping experience;
1. Proximity of and quality of the dealer should be a heavy influence on your buying decision. (This is going to be an advantage to Kubota who, generally speaking has better, more mature dealers.)
2. Make yourself a spreadsheet and keep track of all specs that are important to you - size, weight, price, capacities, etc..... even if your are shopping same brand but different models
3. Don't be afraid to look at other brands - especially when you have a brand dealer near to you and/or that you have a good experience with. Kubota is far from the only game in town.
4. Watch the myriad of youtube videos - some are admittedly goofy and others are quire credible. In my experience, you will find a LOT of videos where people are really liking their Kioti products.
5. Look at warranties. Currently, the warranty provided other brands (including Kioti) is better than Kubota
6. Whatever tractor you choose - as long as it is meeting/exceeding your spreadsheet criteria for capabilities, is probably going to serve you very well - and you will be very happy.
Again, stick with cheap, it suits you.
Although I paid cash for my tractor, sadly it is the minority that do. While you want to refer to the Kioti and other brands as "cheap", the irony is that Kubota's long-running 7-year 0% interest programs more often than not, making it the cheaper alternative. I can only surmise that the competition is definitely being felt and Kubota can no longer command the price differentiation it once enjoyed - hence the finance plans. This is a clever way to deeply discount your product while trying to retain market share and fend off competition.
Finally, I would recommend to google product (model) comparisons. I haven't compiled any meaningful stats but it sure seems that more often than not when Kioti models are compared to Kubota - Kioti emerges the winner.... and Kubota is left with relying on it reliability reputation to try and even the score. DON'T take my word for it - go see for yourselves.