I am 90% sure that is a series 5. One way I can tell is the gas tank on the engine is just a plain square style the series 6 which mine is has that newer style gas tank that had grooves in the tank that Tecumseh started using from like 2000 on it also has a snapper nameplate adhered to the bucket rather then just a snapper sticker which mine has. Its definetely not a series 3 because they were still red and white. It could be a series 4 because the recoil on the engine is that older style still as opposed to the recoils they were using at the end before Tecumseh went under but from the looks of it, I am almost positive it is a series 5, it's either a 4 or 5 that much I can say for sure, both good machine's with all the modern upgrades, if its a series 4 its just a little older, that's the only difference. I can see where the deflector cable was and it has been removed. Either it broke or he took it off. They sell that cable for $150 new. That is a clean good looking machine. Just ask him for the model if it is a 10305 then its a series 5, 10hp, 30 wide series 5, if there is an E at the end of the model it just means it came electric start standard, if it is a series 4 it will be 10304. The machine appears to be in descent condition. You have a trump card you can use here. Mention to him that the deflector cable is missing, ask why. Since he is selling it for $575, tell him you can do $450 because that cable is $150 dollars. Just make sure everything is good on it and it starts right up and runs. The great thing is you do not need the deflector cable to use that machine, you can manually move the deflector by hand by loosening and tightening the wingnut, so at $450 that is a good price if he agrees to it. Then it's up to you if you want to add the deflector cable with the money you saved from buying it. That machine also come's with one hand operation a great feature, it allows you to move the machine and keep the auger going with one hand so you can use the other hand for other things like adjusting the deflector when the cable is present. I like that machine because it has large stout tires compared to mine, those are much wider, plus you get a 30 inch swath and with a 10hp engine enough power to toss that snow. The electric start is an added bonus and having that headlight is a big deal when your out there past sun down. Its a pretty descent looking machine. I know a lot of people who love there 1030 snappers and I would like to upgrade to a larger one myself too one day. I would put a serious bid in on it. At $450 its worth it, if you can get him down. Offer it, if he says no walk away and if it doesn't sell, there is a good chance he will contact you down the road asking if the offer is still on the table. Just make sure everything works properly and it starts up and runs good before you commit to a buy, but yes a machine like that for around $450 is a good price. One thing I also did notice is it will need a coat of paint in the bucket, you have minor rust in there. Its an easy paint job, I re-painted mine last spring. You can use that as a bargaining chip as well ask him what model it is and if it is a series 4 what year it was built, you can use it's age as a bargaining chip as well since the series 4-6 were basically all the same except age, since its the older one you can chop a few bucks off there as well. At $575 I'm pretty sure the guy selling it know's he isn't going to get the asking price and will be ready to negotiate. Feel him out and see where you think his bottom number is at. If you were willing to make a $400 cash offer right now and he said yes, you would be doing very good, because those machine's retailed up over 2 grand. But otherwise from the photo's it looks pretty clean and solid. Good luck! Let us know how thing's work out and what you decide to do.
Thing's to look for when looking at this thing and testing it out are:
Do the tire hold air 100% of the time.
Does the engine start within 2-3 pulls tops and then run smooth after it warms up.
That all the gears including reverse drive good, no hesitation or anything like that.
Its history and maintenance record.
Why the deflector cable is gone.
Check the scraper bar and skid shoes make sure they have meat on them (I don't like those aftermarket skids he put on but that's inexpensive) see if he has the metal originals to give with it.
Make sure he has the manuals both engine and machine for it an gives them to you, that's usually a good sign of being the first owner, because they tend to get lost after resale.
Make sure that headlight works and lights up.
Look under the bucket make sure there is no cracking at the corner's
Make sure the auger moves freely
Start it, run it make sure everything operates as it should and moves good, unfortunately you cant test to see how it throws snow now because there is none, but if the auger and impeller are moving nice and smooth, that;s a good sign.
Get him to come down on the price. Make him an offer, see what he says, then tell him you'll sleep on it, go home think it over and if the price seems fair and everything is up to par on the machine, make the decision. Try to get it for $400. If you can do that and its clean your getting a really good deal. Okay bud, good luck. Take care.