I've had Sub-Zeros in various homes for nearly 30 years. I'd never consider another brand. I also think the refrigerators the company is producing today are the best they've ever made. The Sub-Zero warranty is second to none, and on the couple of occasions when I required a service call, Sub-Zero's service was fast and efficient. In both instances, the required repair was covered under warranty. I doubt you'd be happy with another refrigerator. Sub-Zero's dual compressor system really does make a difference, especially in the refrigerator compartment where the higher humidity level in a Sub-Zero keeps food, and especially produce, fresher much longer than in an ordiary fridge. You'll also find that the model 650 has a much larger freezer section than in your previous model, with much better accessibility. The pull-out drawer is a huge improvement. The idea of a counter-depth slide-in fridge sounds awful to me, especially the idea of leaving the old Sub-Zero grill above. It would look sloppy, unfinished and like you were skimping -- particularly if the edges of the cabinetry around the refrigerator opening aren't finished. Do yourself a favour and go for another Sub-Zero -- you'll be much happier. But if you're still tempted to look at another brand of built-in -- be sure to compare the warranties. Just my two cents. James

"I was grown up to believe that german technology was second to none." Geeze, I wished you could have taught the 2 mercedes Benzes that I owned that!!!!! After about 10 years of keeping the Service Dept of the Mercedes Benz dealership well financed, I finally got tired of that, and bought a 1993 Cadillac Allante. It has seen the Cadillac Dealer service dept once, and that was to buy and install a battery for it. I have a friend that still buys Mercedes, and after 70,000 miles gets rid of them as He says that's when the repair expenses start to really escalate! I did buy a Miele DW, back in 2006, as it was the ONLY DW, back in 2006 that had the 3rd tray, (cutlery rack). It is rarely used, and has been trouble free, whilst my Electrolux Oven, speed oven, Induction cooktop and wine fridge are used all the time, and are alto trouble free. My Jenn-air fridge has only needed 1 repair about $350, since 2006, You cant even talk to an SZ repair man for that (yeah I'm exaggerating just a little) and I doubt you would be able to get much repaired on a Liebherr fridge for that price either. Moral here, is there are more makes of fridges other than SZ or Liebher. Take a look at some of the Whirlpool products, (Kitchen-Aid, Jenn-air, Whirlpool), Look at some of the GE's. When I had my rentals, I just bought "garden variety fridges", and I never had any problems with them, certainly not the kinds of problems that you see with this new "esoteric Expensive Stuff"! Gary

Back to the topic of the thread! I am also researching new fridge for an upcoming complete kitchen remodel. I had an Amana Kenmore side by side refrig that was a 25 yo work horse when we moved into this house. It did not fit the space allocated and was an almond color that did not go with the other ss appliances. It was relegated to the garage. We bought a new GE Profile ss side by side and that was a huge mistake! It lasted 6 years then froze all the produce every third day requiring me to use my hair dryer to thaw out the back wall of the vegetable bins, a real PINTA! I replaced that with my sister in laws 25 yo Sub zero that she was replacing when she remodeled. I refinished the panels on the doors to match the color of my kitchen and we had to have a repair of the ice maker, about $500. It has been 4 years and that SZ is still running great, very solid. The Amana in the garage has been very loud and we know it is an energy guzzler too, but it was well made never had a repair! We replaced the Amana in the garage with a Samsung FD and it is fine for parties and large trays. Now I do not know what to do about replacing the old sub zero. I really love the side by side and the large space, it is a 48", and I use every inch of it as well as the garage refrig and there are only 2 of us! I buy in bulk, store drinks and freeze vegetables from the garden. The new sub zero same size built in does not have the newer lighting. The interior has more plastic, I like the coated metal baskets on the older model. The integrated SZ has better lighting but is way more expensive. The Thermador is nice, better lighting than SZ BI, plastic bins same as SZ but with a fake metal finish on the edges not sure how that will wear. The Thermador integrated columns same price almost as SZ BI. NO water in refrig NO door dispensers for me. If I buy new SZ BI I can canabolize the interior shelves and baskets and use in new fridge I think. That won't help the lighting but I can live with that if new model functions for 25 plus years! The Thermador is nice but if the issues others have reported regarding noise, leaking, reliability etc are more than just reported on GW that would be an expensive mistake. Anyone bought a subzero in the last few years and have you had problems? How about the Thermador how does the finish on the shelf edges and freezer racks hold up? Maintenance issues on either? Thanks

I am happy with it. And I think that I do see it keeping food fresh a bit longer now. Be prepared for less depth, but that's not a huge problem for us. We have a small full depth fridge in the basement if we really need to fit that huge pan or pizza box. Makes lots of good tasting ice. Freezer storage is adequate, but I do use the freezer in the secondary fridge, too and so it's perfect for us. It feels really well made especially compared to some of the new fridges my friends and family have recently purchased. If you can feel enjoyment when using an appliance, I think I do with this one lol. All in all I'd buy it again. Good luck.