I can only tell you what not to buy--a Bosch! Mine is a piece of junk.

Consumer reports didn't seem to think highly of the Bosch either, thought they did rate one #1 based on cleaning ability. Their best buy was a Kenmore.

Hi marti8a, we have a Kenmore Elite 'smart wash' DW and I am growing more happy with it all the time. It is very nice and quiet. It has a 'smart' wash which supposedly reads how dirty the loads are and cleans accordingly. I wasn't very impressed to begin with, but it seems to be actually doing better over time (perhaps it is 'learning' as advertised). It was not over the top expensive - rather middle of the road as I recall (none of our appliances were expensive). I think that Whirlpool and Kenmore (Sears) are the same make. I can't vouch for how long it lasts as we've only had ours a couple of years.
You might also want to consider a water softener. Where we live, the water is awfully hard, too. I lived with it for a long time, but we finally got a softener a couple of years ago. What a huge difference it has made (DW, laundry, showers, etc)!! Now I will always have one as long as it's possible ...
I don't think there is a 'perfect' one out there for anyone. Appliances now aren't built like they used to be, and I think that the more homework a person does, the better, but it can be overwhelming, so you just have to do the best you can. :o) Hope it works out for you!
~Missy

Without a doubt, my GE profile DW is magnificent. I had it panel covered to match my cabinetry. I don't even know it is on!

I am sorry to hear some are disappointed with their Bosch.
Bummer.

I love my Bosch. LOVE IT !!! I have the 800 Integra.
I have hard water too. We have a water softner. I wonder
if this has helped our dishwasher run so great??
Maybe I got lucky with my machine.

I have had no issues with my Bosch. I can fill this
dishwasher with unclean, moldy, caked on, baked on,
peanutbutter infested, dirty sticky spoons, knives,
plastic cups, even plastic forks an un-rinsed lasagna
pan, mixer tool with molasses, baby bottles (not
my baby my sisters grandbaby), melted velvetta cheese,
burnt chocolate chip cookies fused to the pan,
I even put in the grill's greasy grates and the come
out looking new. Yes, everything comes out of this DW
looking new. If I could just get it to take away those
fine lines around my eyes it would be perfect!
I truly love my Bosch.

Now if you want to talk about the duel fuel oven range, I
have a few complants but that is another post. : )

Good luck on your DW search.
Another good place to search for appliances opinions
is Epinions.com
~boxerpups

We've been through three DWs in the 11 years we've lived in our house. The repair guy and sales guy both told us that DW only last about 5 years nowadays. My jaw hit the floor.

We bought a Kenmore about 1.5 years ago. I'm not at my house so I can't tell you the model number. CR rated it fairly highly. We researched it at Sears, and then watched for it for a week at the Sears Outlet. Got a SS, non-SS interior, no damage, for about $150 less. It cleans fine. It seems to take about 90 minutes or more for a cycle and isn't as quiet as the KA that died on us, but it works and we only paid about $400.

I've decided it's not worth spending 1K on something that will only last 5 years. It doesn't look as fancy as many you'll see here in finished kitchens, but it works. We are completely redoing the kitchen. EVERYTHING will be spankin' new, EXCEPT the DW. We'll put the Kenmore back in.

I just posted this on the "Which Dishwasher" post but probably wouldn't hurt to put it here as well.

***
We have a Bosch Evolution SHE56C05UC and would never buy it again. While it's extremely quiet and cleans pretty good, we're currently having trouble with bits of something stuck on everything, this may mean we need to add more Jet Dry, I don't know.

Here are my complaints:

1. The stainless steel interior had a strong chemical smell for over two years (we've had it for three). It's still there but not as offensive. When I Googled the problem, I found I wasn't alone.

2. You have to use Jet Dry for your dishes to dry without spots. I don't like appliances that need extra stuff to do their job properly.

3. It is impossible on my particular model to turn off the annoying beep when the clean cycle is done. What's the purpose of having a super quiet dishwasher that beeps insistently when it's done. We discovered early on, we couldn't start a load of dishes and then go to bed, entertain guest or get comfy on the sofa without being interrupted with the irritating beep ... beep ... beep every few seconds. If it beeped just once, I'd be fine with it.

I've contacted Bosch several times about the problem (which happens with our Bosch microwave and oven as well) and sent them screen shots of the exact model and they couldn't help me with the dishwasher. When I finally figured out how to turn the beep off the microwave I discovered the hard way that it also turns off the timer sound. How did I discover this? By the smoke pouring out of my kitchen when I used the timer while boiling something on the stove. Ugh. I hate being a slave to my kitchen and my appliances.

That's my 10â on the Bosch Evolution SHE56C05UC dishwasher. Your mileage may vary.

Love, love, love the clean Euro looks of it though.

Jodi-

When I saw this title, at first I thought it was a personals ad.... then I realized you meant DishWasher, lol.