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

> wws944, do you have any pictures? Does it look like a proper freestanding refrigerator? Right now it is sitting in my garage with stuff piled all around it, until the remodeling/expansion of our house is complete. Wouldn't be very photogenic... We bought the SZ in Y2K, and in the old configuration it replaced a freestanding, avacado green, fridge. The old fridge sat between a counter and a doorway, and had a cabinet overhead. The area was just wide enough to accomodate the 42" SZ. We also had to remove the overhead cabinet. After we had the SZ installed, I built a simple soffit over the top to match the cabinets. (This wasn't hard as the cabinets were very plain European-style inset doors. It was about $5 in wood from Home Depot, plus about 1/2 hour in my time.)

I can't quote a one price fits all. If you're installing new kitchen cabinets then it's fairly easy to have your cabinet company make a matching panel for your unit. Our cabinets were installed 26 years ago and although the original company is still in business they no longer make my style panel nor do they use the same stain. I actually got an even better price on my BI 36R then what I originally quoted above so I didn't have any qualms about going the custom panel route. The cabinet company asked me to give them one of my existing door fronts so that they could custom mill an identical panel and also do a custom stain match. I paid $1600 for two wood panels - one for the refrigerator and a smaller one for the grill. That price also included some cabinetry work since I had to remove the small cabinet above my refrigerator since the BI 36 is taller than the 501F it replaced. It also included the Sub Zero Pro handle that I ordered. I really like this new unit. It is incredibly quiet, much quieter than the old one and maintains a set temperature perfectly.

I replaced the compressor on a 20 year old SubZero refrigerator. Then, the next year I replaced the compressor on a 20 year old SubZero Freezer. They are still going strong. This is one of the reasons why you buy a SubZero in the first place. Because you can keep the box forever and simply replace the compressor. If you plan on doing a renovation, replacing the entire unit might make sense. But, it sounds like you don't want to do that any time in the near future. From a payback standpoint, replacing the compressor makes the most sense. Use a Subzero technician instead of a jack-of-all trades repairman and you should be very happy.