DWC1

One more point - I get mine through about 4-6 inches of wet snow (I live between London and Windsor; I mean WET snow) or about 8 inches of dry.  Other than having to knock down a pile if I blow it too deep, I haven't had any significant horsepower problems with mine.

I have a CR 20 that is about 20 years old; it was a hand me down about 8 years ago.  The electric starter was broken when I received it, but the recoil starter still only takes 2-3 yanks to start, even after 20 years.  Not having ripped one apart, I don't know if the broken piece is essential, but the recoil is easy enough to use.  If the thing fires up, I would not worry about it.

Check the condition of the rubber vanes that throw the snow.  They are about $100 CDN to replace.