I'm in the same boat...the more I research and read reviews the more I think all appliances are a crap shoot. Demo hasn't started yet but we already bought the fridge.....counter depth kenmore elite...actually made by LG. have read good and bad....of course. Same thing with the GE Profile slide In gas range, KA dishwasher, etc...so hard to make a decision with so much contradictory info. Local small dealers no help at all either...lots of misinformation. Price doesn't mean quality.....SIL has a Dacor range for four years and nothing but trouble....it went out last Thanksgiving and mid way we had to drag the turkey next door and finish cooking it in the neighbor' s oven...fortunately they were away! Good luck....I'm anxious to see what others have to say!

I'd reuse the dishwasher (make sure it's in a standard size hole) and replace it once it dies and you're over the shock of the remodel expense. That'll give you just a little better selection on things that aren't as standardized as dishwasher holes (most dishwasher holes anyway...)

Samsung RFG237AARS $2008 w/free shipping.

http://buyriteappliances.com/samsung-rfg237aars.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=Samsung&gdftrk=gdfV23947_a_7c1986_a_7c8120_a_7c902

Bluestar 30" Range RNB304BV1NG $3900 OBO+ $140 Shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plessers-com-Bluestar-30-range-RNB304BSS-RNB304BV1NG-/250920915946?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item3a6c0d53ea

Panasonic NN-SD377S SS MW $92.64 w/free shipping
Spending $500 plus on drawer MW on this budget is silly IMO.

http://www.universalmania.net/index.do?type=productDetail&productId=1010777878&categoryId=5041

Cavaliere Range Hood 218b2-36 $350 plus $79.99 shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAVALIERE-36-Wall-Mount-Range-Hood-36-New-/380334292832?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item588db0bf60

Keep current DW replace when needed.

Excluding range that equals $2530.63 which leaves $3469.37 for the BS RNB range including shipping. Make plessers an offer and see what happens.

Well that is what I would do.

These are my observations, not recommendations based on appliances I've actually used.

The pro looking gas range that's budget friendly and gets good reviews seems to be NXR but I don't believe it's a slide in. Dual fuel isn't budgetwise and GE Cafes have received lots of complaints.

A friend of mine got the LG french door and adores it. She's a cookbook writer so it gets heavy use and she's picky so I'd have heard about any issues.

I've kept older appliances and mixed them with new and in retrospect felt it was an error. I'd go for a new one and look at Kitchen Aid and Bosch for the dishwashers.

Agree with D on the microwave. I got a smallish freestanding Panasonic that's terrific at Amazon, about $100. Think I used my Amex points for it.

I'd go with a slightly better hood and look at Broan which offers some good values.

Disagree about the BS as there are too many issues around those ranges. Also, I personally wouldn't plunk half the budget into one piece and then stress all the other pieces.

I agree with Rococogurl.

The NXR is a good start for a budget range, it is NOT a slide in but if you get the "island back" what is really the difference?
You can get the NXR for $2000 or less and "for the price" nothing touches it.
We have had ours for 9 months so far with no issues of any kind.
Disregard the soon to follow assembled in China nonsense, if you buy appliances only made in the USA then good luck.

The "Kenmore Elite" counter depth fridge is actually a Samsung unless they have made some change the past 7 months to LG.
IF it is the same as ours we bought 7-8 months ago then it is a great fridge, also no issues with it.

$2000 stove
$2300 fridge
leaves $1700 for everything else

I agree with Nunyabiz1. Good alternative on the fridge.

Then hood can be $500, DW can be $800 and micro $100. There's still some left over to upscale any of the above. I'd be looking at dishwasher if it was burning a hole in my pocket. Or save it cause there's always something unexpected. Switch out cabinet handles or go for a nice pendant.

I've become a big fan of finding floor model appliances that have been unused (except for being powered up) and that come with full factory warranty when installed in your home.

We were able to pick up a few things that were definitely out of our price range at retail (which seems to be largely the norm in Central Florida - not sure where you are).

hpxmirage- we are in St. Augustine but travel around Central Florida quite a bit....if you have any store suggestions we are always up for a road trip! We are finding viewing certain appliances in our area (like Bertazonni, Blue Star, NXR, Verona impossible) so if we want something out of the norm we are willing to go and seek it out. I am gun shy about buying a stove I have never seen. My big thing is I do not really like the look of the electronic stove panel, have read reviews saying these are the first to go, etc. I really just want a stove with knobs and minimal electronics- I had no idea how hard it would be to find.

Thank you so much for the links and opinions. I will be sure to check them out. Anyone else with feedback, please send along!

mobydog,

We found our fridge at Southeast Steel in Orlando, a non-descript, old school place on the edge of downtown. No air conditioning, just fans - but lots of inventory. I'd call ahead to see whether they have what you'd be interested in. Aggressive Appliance in west Orlando has a BlueStar sitting on the floor as you walk in. I didn't pay much attention to it, as we bought a Capital Culinarian for our new house. In fact, I was pretty much ready to buy a 36 inch BlueStar when Capital started showing a little leg with the Culinarian. I bought a Miele dishwasher and warming drawer that were both floor models at good discounts from Aggressive - but if the item you want isn't something they're looking to unload, they like full retail prices a lot.

We bought our NXR stove in Tampa Fl from a place called DKA Distributing.

Small little place but gave us a great price and they seemed nice/honest.

That was one of the things I really liked about the NXR is it doesn't have any electronic control panel.

Here is a link that might be useful: DKA Distributing

I am not allowed to tell how much, but I can tell you if you wait a week or so, you will find some outstanding prices on many appliances at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.
Especially if you are looking at the Whirlpool, 4 door french door. KXFS25RYMS.

powertoolpatriot- any good deals you can't tell me about on a counter depth french door stainless steel refrigerator? ;o)

Nunyabiz1 and hpxmirage- I will check out those appliance places. I found the blue star at costco.ca and I have a friend who works for Costco trying to find out if I can get that stove here in FL...price was great and I love buying anything from Costco because of their return policies.

I don't know if I would spend the extra money on a drawer microwave. It's a lot of cash for something that takes longer to open & close.

I'd also be a little leery of spending only $500 on a hood if I were getting a pro-style NXR. That might not be enough 'oomph'.

We like our Zephyr Typhoon AK2100 very much, but it sits over a Kenmore/WP stove that is nowhere near as powerful as the pro-style ranges, and is just about adequate for the cooking I do - a lot of sear-roasting on the PowerPlus burner which is only 14.5K BTU. No stir-frying, the WP isn't powerful enough except in small amounts.

I've noticed a lot depends on how your kitchen is laid out. An open kitchen, which is what we changed to, is a LOT more demanding of an exhaust fan than the traditional closed-in kitchen. For instance, I can run the fan on high and get the 'charred burger' smell out of the kitchen pretty quickly - but when I walk into the LR towards my front door, I can smell it again.

The Zephyr has a 10-min delay. For a closed-in kitchen, that might be sufficient, but for my open plan, 20-30 min is needed if I'm doing something that's strong-smelling.

hpxmirage- thank you so much for the recommendation to check out Southeast Steel...picked up a 36" 600 cfm stainless steel range hood for $300 and a top of the line Bosch floor model for $600. We loaded them up and brought them home today! Keeping my fingers crossed for a great deal on cabinet depth refrigerator on Black Friday. That leaves me $5100 to play with for the range, refrigerator and microwave.

We looked at Agressive Appliance at the Blue Star. But I think I really liked the Capital Precision better at Southeast Steel.