I prefer the bottom burners in the oven hidden. It is easier to clean the oven this way. It does slow heating a little bit but when once heated, the ovens work wonderfully. My Miele is at least 8years old and had a hidden element. Apart from the Broiler which will always be exposed, I don't see a return to hidden elements at all. What is your concern with the hidden elements?

It is different. I have commented on exposed oven burners before. For me I have noticed the difference in pies and quiches not getting as brown on the bottom because you do not get the radiant heat. Many people use PYREX clear pie dishes because it allows more radiant heat to pass through and better browning. I think the older pyroceram corningware browns a little better but for a different reason so it might be a work around. I have one recipe for an upside down apple pie that I made countless times that does not work in my electric oven(Electrolux) I have now.

I think the exposed elements are in the least expensive ovens and there are a few in under glass in more expensive ovens. I think they do that to have a cleaner look. It is marketed to be easier to clean. In reality, it holds the heat so the bottom is exposed to much higher heat and you cannot use a liner or it will melt. I think the high heat really bakes stuff on at least with the three brands I have used. I don't trust using the self clean although it would probably be ok with Miele. My Wolf range has the enamel all flaked off over the bottom especially where the element is. It takes longer to preheat. It will also take more to repair unless the bottom lifts out.

Will they go back? I have seen all kinds of things manufacturers do just to have "technology" or to be perceived as innovative or unique. They don't seem to ever think "That didn't work out too well." and go back. People put up with a lot in some of the new appliances.

I love my Electrolux oven except for pies. I love convection, slow and fast and being able to direct heat. I did have the Dacor range and wall oven years ago with the element under glass for several months but it had so many issues they bought them back.

I do think about buying a smaller portable oven with an open element just for pies.

My concerns are the same as wekick's. I find that my baking doesn't turn out quite the same with the covered element and it takes forever to heat up. Also, I'd rather be able to put a liner in under the burner for clean up rather than have the clear wipeable surface. We were in a condo for a year that had a similar model oven by the same company we have at home, but it had a covered burner. It was a crazy busy year and I just remember the wait for the oven to heat up when I needed to make quick meals almost drove me nuts. Then when I did have some down time and wanted to bake, pies and some other things didn't seem to turn out very well. Not the end of the world, but it's just one of those things that I wish they had left alone.

My experience is that any new to you oven, of any configuration, is going to be different than the last. There's an adjustment period. I've always baked fruit pies in Pyrex, though quiches and other savories in white corning. Which I just do, and hadn't considered until Wekick's post that it was a matter of browning. I don't go for dark brown crusts, but I do want them flakey and "cooked-er" than for quiche (though I do blind bake those--I don't understand the whole raw crust thing).

With any new oven, make sure it's calibrated well, and maybe set some time the first week or two you have it to try some cookies, a cake and a pie, to see what the quirks are. For instance, my very fancy, very expensive oven is very uniform...except with convection and the rack in the middle rung with something short, like a pie or cookies. Then, the hot air from the fan blows over the flat item, bounces off the glass door in the front right corner, and comes back and hits it again, making that corner brown faster. Easily fixed with conscious positioning, but a quirk nonetheless.

I don't think exposed burners are coming back because they're incompatible with high heat pyrolysis. OTOH, many ovens have been having problems with their engineering on that anyway, especially as regards the enamel and flexion and chipping. My Gaggenau oven has an exposed element that one plugs in to use the special pizza stone. I suppose I could use that to bake pies, too, if I needed to. But that's an ultra high end accessory.

Given your budget and stated preferences, I think your best bet is to look for old tech. If you don't mind your range looking like something from the past, you can probably find what you're looking for, especially if you don't want self clean. Try AJMadison.com, for their search filters. Often, there are appliances readily available that aren't on the sales floor.

I simply remove the bottom element cover to expose the bottom coil. The oven preheats in 5 minutes instead of 30-45 minutes. I don't think it's worth the tradeoff of easier cleaning with extra long preheat times. People don't always have the extra time to waste plus the extra energy costs that come with the long preheat times.