Um, $200 for a gas mower? I think there's your problem. That's like buying a $70 vacuum. You know, there should be a minimum benchmark for most items, and if basic performance levels can't be met below a certain price, then don't even bother making it cheaply and selling it cheaply.

For considerably less than that, you can get a human-powered reel mower and live without the (1) exhaust and (2) noise! When I had a yard, I LOVED my reel mower! I used the gas mower only when the grass got too tall for the reel mower to work (like after a lot of rain or a very busy time for me).