Hi Pam! Wow I had almost ordered the same one the other day with the combo micro-convection oven until I did a bunch of research and found horrible posts all over the internet about Thermador. When one starts doing research on the internet one tends to find tons of complaints about most everything so it is so difficult to make the right decision!! I feel your pain! lol Finally I figured the BEST place to find the answers was to call my trusty repairman that I have used for years and ask him what oven he would recommend for me. He would know what are the best and worst appliances. I asked him what are some of the best ones and which ones should I stay away from.
His words:
"I'm sorry to tell you but there are no reliable appliances out there. All the American made appliances are built to last 5 years and there are some that look like they've been put together with toy parts. They are built to cut costs and compete. They are not built like your Moms or your Grandmothers were built. Try to find something with REAL KNOBS (some are fake attached to a computer board) because the biggest problem I see is that the "touchpad" types blow and the whole board has to be replaced. ($$$$$$$- caching caching). Never buy LG- they are the worst. As for Foreign made, It is very difficult to find people who can service them not to mention the repair expense, and it can take quite a while to get parts". So I told him that I had planned on getting a Thermador oven and his advise was such that if I'm stuck on going Foreign that I should do the research and go with the most reliable one. I mentioned that I am now steering towards the Miele (love my dishwasher) and he said he had never worked on them because he was not certified but had heard they were good and if I could find mostly good reviews and not many complaints then I should either go that option, or just go with the American made GE or Whirlpool and pay for the 5 year coverage plan. He also said to get coverage plan for foreign. If you Google "who makes what appliances" you will find a list that tells you Bosch makes Thermador. I did not know that until last night. Bosch is also supposed to be good but I have found slews of complaints. Based on all the information I have put together I have decided to spend a little more and go with Miele. Miele makes Miele and that is it. They are a family owned company and notorious for quality and customer satisfaction.
I am going to copy and paste some links to info that I have scrounged up.
On this first site: http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/thermador-oven-c24598.html you will find comments made by a guy who used to work for Thermador and info about what is now going on in the company.
"Consumer Reports" says, "
> " Thermadors high-priced ME301E, $2,400, is
> a top performer in
> our tests. But when it comes to repairs, the brand has
> ranked rock-bottom in our
> surveys for electric wall ovens".
LOOK AT THESE COMPLAINTS ON "CONSUMER AFAIRS": http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/thermador.html
I have not found any complaints on Miele ovens but some favorable reviews on "Epinions". There are some complaints on the dishwashers but I can tell you if they are not installed properly by certified Miele guy they will not drain properly so that's probably where some of the complaints come from. I have had a Miela "Diamante" for three years and not one problem. It's the best dishwasher I have owned and I have owned many. I also own Miele vacuum and it is THE BEST!
I ran across this info on Miele from a website that gives info on companys and the info is unbiased:
http://www.hoovers.com/miele-usa/--ID__159641--/free-co-profile.xhtml

Sorry this was so long but I hope it helps you chose your new oven! :) That should keep you busy for a while! :)
I really liked the way the Thermador looked!

monaw, thanks so much for all of the info. It makes me so sick that appliances have such a short life these days. I'm going to look at the websites you included in your post. I'll also look at Miele. Thanks again, Pam