If you can only afford $500 and don't want to buy a used one, you're probably limited to a small single stage machine. These are for light duty use on smooth, level, paved driveways. If you're on a hill, a gravel driveway, need to bust through frozen drifts, a 2-stage with multiple forward speeds and reverse is recommended. Most of these now have a plug-in electric start, which helps if you're lax with the maintenance.