Have been staying in a vacation rental in the UK fro two months, with an 18" dishwasher, and have found it to be perfectly adequate for us two (and guests). It's an Italian made Whirlpool thing, I think. Noisy though.

I would say, get thin, flat, plates though, to use it to its best capacity. We cook every night, and have run it every night. It's been fine.

I had an 18" dishwasher for about 16 years. My old kitchen didn't have a dishwasher and the only way I could have one fit was to get an 18" model. For 2 or 3 people who cook every night it was fine. I rarely put pots/pans in the dishwasher so I could go a couple of days between loads. When I remodeled my kitchen I put in a 24", but in retrospect I would have been fine with another 18".

I don't remember the brands, but I think there are only a couple manufacturers that make the 18". Most are just re-branded. I agree with Sara that thin, flat plates are best. After my first 18" died after about 12 years, I had to get new dinnerware to fit properly in the new 18" dishwasher.

You will pay more for the 18" than you would for the same dishwasher in a 24" size. If you can afford it, take a look at the Miele 18".

I have the 18" Miele Slimline. It works great and holds a lot. There are only two of us but it would work well for 3-4 if run daily. Previously I had a typical apartment 18" and it held much less and didn't clean as well.

Thanks for advice so far. I can't say my plates are especially thin, especially the fiestaware. I also wash most pots and plastics in the sink, but am actually thinkin a smaller dishwasher will allow me to run it full most days w/plates, bowls, cups, etc. Right now we run it every day and a half, or every 2 days. I looked at the model at our appliance store and what I noted most was the silverware section would get filled really fast. I do think it would work to go w/smaller dishwasher, but it's a big commitment because the cabinets will then be built for a bigger sink and smaller dishwasher space.

there must be others of you w/an older kitchen who've compromised w/a smaller dishwasher?

Or you could go with a single or double 24" wide dish drawer like the Fisher Paykel It has adjustable racking for different size plates and adjustable shelves for glassware. If you get the 2 drawer you can run just one drawer. This is handy as my wife runs the dishwasher and doesn't empty it for 3 days. This way I can put dirty dishes in the other drawer instead of the sink.

In my old house I had an 18" Bosch. I really liked it, and it worked well for my wife and I cooking every night. You just need to hand wash more of the larger stuff, and after having guests I would sometimes run the dishwasher once at night and again in the morning (even with the 24" dishwasher I sometimes do that).

My grandma has an 18 inch Miele. Works fine for her. Here are some pictures I took of it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele Slide Show