I don't think I'd get a 6 burner stove just for storage. The difference in price is about $1000. You get 6 burners because you regularly have a need to cook more than 4 things on the stove at once. In my opinion Thanksgiving doesn't count, but it might for you. I have a 2 burner hot plate if I need that many things going at once, almost certainly one or two will be a simmer.

Also note a 36" oven will take longer to preheat than a 30".

A 36" 6 burner range or rangetop is useful if you have more than one person cooking at a time. Also, big pots/pans can take more than one burner's space.

A 36" oven will take longer to preheat, but ours (DCS range) can hold full sheet pans, meaning much more capacity. (We also have a smaller oven for every day.)

I like extra space on a cooktop too, but the BS grates might be laid out well enough that you don't need the extra 6 inches.

The oven though...Chairthrower makes a great point. I decided against a range partly because I wanted a 36" top but not a giant 36" oven. Some people of course make use of big ovens and others use them so rarely it doesn't matter...

So, I got 5 burners (36") not because I needed the burners so much, but for sliding stuff around. But it's an easier decision with separate cooktop/oven than with a range.

I have to disagree with the second post. I don't think you should buy a 6 burner range only if you regularly need more than 4. As the other posts mention, larger pots reduce the effective number of burners you have available to you. Also, it's the one time you need 5 burners when you really regret not investing in the larger range. I've only had need for more than 4 burners a hand full of times and the other times, I do appreciate the larger surface. Sure, you can move a pot off to the counter but if it's a large stock pot, you may not want to even move it from one grate to another much less lift it off the range.

Finally, if you do any wok cooking at all, you can kiss at least 2 of the other burners goodbye if you've got a 16" wok. I've got a 16" and 14" and I've had opportunity to use both at the same time which is only possible with a 36" cooktop.

I was going to say exactly what amcook did so nicely. I love using my big (15 1/2" plus handle) skillet, 2 woks the same size as amcook's, and our dbl burner griddle/grill. Not everything fits neatly within the confines of one burner, and six will allow you to move things around and use the burners that suit you best in each situation. I have 8 burners and even with a family of 10 and at Thanksgiving, we'll probably never use all 8 at once, but do use the space of the entire rangetop, and do use all the burners at different times.

I have the La Cornue CornuFe, which has 5 burners, one of which is an 18,000 BTU central burner that fits even the largest pan. I love the 5 burners and also the 2 smaller ovens, which heat up so quickly and have fantastic multi-function options. Plus, it's gorgeous!

I selected a 6 burner range because there are enough times that I ran out of burners on the 4 top.

I look at it this way - I have never regretted purchasing too much but everytime I have gone to the other spectrum I have regretted it. I have said darn, that TV is just too big I wish I had gotten a smaller one. Or wow, this computer is just too fast I wish I had gotten one that is slower.

I also figure that I am not going to remodel the kitchen again anytime soon and the last thing I want is regrets.

It's a toss up depending on what's more important. The 30" has a 6" center section between pots, so if you only need 4 burners, you should be happy enough with the room for pots. And the 30" oven is already huge. The 36" oven will take longer to preheat- but if you have an electric wall oven to use- you can save the big gas oven for when it's really needed, then why not go for the 36" especially if two people are cooking on top. The 48" can be great because you have two ovens of different size and plenty of room on the top- but a bit of overkill if you also have wall ovens.