I don't have a high opinion of a new Jennair, much less an older out of warranty model. That model is a discontinued older style. An "amazing price" for it would be maybe $300 for a used model. $500-$600 would be a good Craig's List price for it, with folks asking $700-$800 and accepting the lower price. It has no warranty, and it wouldn't be eligible to purchase an extended warranty. If you're OK with maybe getting a couple of years out of it, or the possibility of having a $300 repair bill a year down the road, I'd buy it. If you'd prefer a model with a warranty (from a crappy company to deal with on warranties) and that is eligible to purchase an extended warranty (highly recommended with any of the Whirltagaire products.) then save your money and get a new one. I'd buy something else. Just about anything else.

You will need to begin planning a kitchen remodel. It may be a "light" one, where you reconfigure some cabinetry and venting to just be able to put in new appliances, or it may morph into a major one. After, all, it's a 1979 kitchen! :) The least expensive and best functional change would be to get a new slide in type range and an overhead vent. The next would be to get a cooktop with downdraft that could hook up to the old venting that you have----the ducting, not the motor. You would then have to figure out another location for a wall oven. Ranges cannot be used with popup downdrafts, even though you've probably seen a few idiots on the home channels do this. It moves the downdraft (which is never effective to begin with) too far from what needs to be vented, and you have to void the warranty to figure out how to house the downdraft mechanism that's meant to go under a cooktop. Either way, since you seem to have diagnosed your current range issue, continue to DIY patch it until you can accomplish the remodel. If you have to pay labor to repair the range, then plan on doing the remodel sooner rather than later, as labor in a failing Jennair will eat your remodel budget alive and you might as well be spending it on your replacements. In the meantime, you'd be surprised at what you can accomplish with a good quality good sized toaster oven and freestanding induction cooktop. Many people purchase those items to get them through the period without their kitchen and end up keeping them in the remodeled kitchen. If money is really tight, that would be the way to go, and just use the piece of junk as counterspace to hold the small appliances.

I've been where you are. I also didn't want a bottom handle on the range, as one big handle is more than enough. I dismissed the Jenn-Air due to all the bad reviews/repair records from people in the business. I didn't like the lip on the KA (from smoothtop to controls). I liked the clean lines on the Bosch and Jenn-Aire, but the Bosch won hands down because of it's reviews and style. We have the SS Integra and love it. It's roomy. The cooktop heats up quickly. The fan does come on whenever the oven is turned on but it's not loud, IMO. We haven't used the probe yet, so I can't tell you about that. We're quiet pleased with this range. Word of advice: Just make sure the minimum height of the Bosch will work with the height of your current countertops. If your countertops are less than 36", the Bosch will be higher than your counters. Our counters were lower so we had to build them up in order to make the range fit properly over the counter. I wasn't about to return the Bosch for one I didn't care for; I liked it too much. Also, if you don't have a slide-in currently, you'll need the 3" filler piece behind the range b/c the range does not touch the wall. The Bosch does not come with this peice - at least mine didn't. Any questions, let me know. Deb

I bought a Jenn-Air Slide In Range w/ Convection 2 yrs. ago for the lakehouse we built and I love it. Mine is dual fuel, though - electric oven/warmer and gas fueled cooktop. I know it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but just wanted to offer feedback as regards the Jenn-Air brand. I'd read a lot of negative posts on the Appliance Forum regarding the brand and was a bit skeptical. (Later came to realize there's no brand everyone there agrees is good..) But it had all the features I wanted and the price was right, too. I have a pro range in my home (previous owner had bought it because her son was a chef..) and I like my Jenn-Air just as much. The oven heats up quickly and bakes evenly. Love the warming oven feature, particularly when I'm prepping breakfasts and for evenings when I can have warm (but not dried out) appetizers ready to go when guests come. We've entertained lots at the lake in the past couple years and my stove has had a real workout with several cooks at the helm. I really like mine, haven't had any problems, and would buy another without hesitation.