Your appliance choices will come down to how you intend to use them.

Master cook? Consider spending more on the range/stove/oven.
Hate dishes? Don't skimp on the dishwasher.
Big family with lots of parties? Get a nice refrigerator.

I used this forum to buy a somewhat spartan dishwasher, a very bottom of the line Miele, and I am very happy with the investment. Others here steered me away from less reliable brands thankfully.

Best time to buy? I would say November/December, but last month of any quarter is not bad, so March, June, September if not Nov/Dec.

Good luck.

Laundryvet

I finally purchased my appliances around Black Friday - but I noticed that sales spring up all year round. I tried to time the delivery close to projected installation time and I was still a month too early. And once you purchase...stop looking as prices fluctuate all the time!

I had no idea how to start as this was my first major appliance purchase and my budget was not to exceed $7500. I'm not a very experienced cook, so while my appliances are a major upgrade for me, they are still very basic due to my budget constraints. I pulled together a spread sheet listing everything I needed for the new kitchen and then visited all my possibilities. I quickly learned from reading GardenWeb and other online research that you really need to visit the appliances in person to get a feel for them.

For example, I really wanted a counter depth fridge and on paper liked the new GE Profile fridge (especially since a multiple purchase rebate was in effect). However, when I saw it in person, the freezer drawer didn't seem to open enough...thought I was imagining it but when I measured, the CD Electrolux I ended up getting opened an additional 1.5 inches - a criteria that was important to me.

Being risk averse, I priced my appliances at AJMadison but couldn't convince myself to buy online from them. I did end up ordering from the GE online store for some items and a local store that price matched local competitors for the fridge and hood. Now I'm just waiting for my rebates to show up!

Sorry for the long post...my friends and family never want to hear me mention appliances any more. LOL

my friends and family never want to hear me mention appliances any more.

that's what GW if for :-)

so true, sjhockeyfan. I'm back shopping for appliances again for another project and I've reached a tolerance point.

HiHoHiHo: Do you have a preliminary layout for your plan? You mentioned an induction range or cooktop -- what size? Any preference on the size/type/quantity of ovens?

The size and type of fridge will be big variable. That is where the layout comes into play. Things like size of family, cooking needs, and the presence of a pantry/garage fridge/freezer can also influence your choice. I'm assuming we are talking about CD versus FD refrigerators here, as the built-ins may be out of your total budget.

I'm certain the people with a lot of induction experience can recommend a model. On DW in your total budget, you should look at the various Bosch and Miele models.

I doubt you can pull off a Miele induction cooktop in your budget, but I can highly recommend my Bosch 500 series induction cooktop. There are several things about it I particularly like - 1) the individual hob timers which I use all the time, and 2) the ability to set a power level with one press of a button (direct input) rather than having to scroll up or down with repeated presses. In the interest of full disclosure, someone mentioned that because you press buttons on the glass top (as opposed to the 800 series, where the buttons are on the stainless steel strip at the front of the cooktop) sometimes wet fingers make it difficult, and this is true. I'm not sure I would pay a lot more money for a unit where this is not the case, but everyone has their own pet peeves!

I doubt you can pull off a Miele induction cooktop in your budget, but I can highly recommend my Bosch 500 series induction cooktop. There are several things about it I particularly like - 1) the individual hob timers which I use all the time, and 2) the ability to set a power level with one press of a button (direct input) rather than having to scroll up or down with repeated presses. In the interest of full disclosure, someone mentioned that because you press buttons on the glass top (as opposed to the 800 series, where the buttons are on the stainless steel strip at the front of the cooktop) sometimes wet fingers make it difficult, and this is true. I'm not sure I would pay a lot more money for a unit where this is not the case, but everyone has their own pet peeves!

Thanks so much for all the great advice so far. We will definitely have to check things out in person and buying at the end of the quarter seems smart.
Here is some more info. We are just starting our family- only 1 baby so far but I imagine we will have more in the future. Neither of us are big cooks but once the baby is old enough to eat with us I do plan to cook family dinners every night. In the future we will probably also be hosts for holidays like Thanksgiving. I am thinking of getting induction since I have read such great things about it on this site and it seems so much safer. Other than that we are making the floor plan so we can probably work in whatever we want within the budget. I am attaching a pic of the rough plan we are currently thinking of (disclaimer- a sketch drawn by me, not the architect, so not accurate but each square is 2'x2'). We will definitely have a large island (at least 9'x5') and hopefully a very big pantry to store food and small appliances in (hoping for 10'x5'). I am hoping to have the pantry in the corner of the L shape and have a hidden swing door to match the cabinet finish. Appliance locations aren't drawn in yet.
I read that we could make a FD refrigerator look CD if we recess the wall a little so I am thinking of doing that since I do want the extra space in the fridge. From what I have been seeing, I think I like the models with the icemaker in the door- LG and Kenmore I think? Seems to free up space in the fridge. Also the door-in-door seems appealing though not necessary (LG LFX32945ST and LG LMX30995ST).
I would really like 2 ovens for holidays (my husband is not so keen on this) but IâÂÂm not sure if that means a cooktop and 2 walls, a range and 1 wall, or maybe having the second oven just be a fancy oven microwave like the GE advantium (so cooktop, 1 wall, and 1 combo oven, or range and 1 combo oven). We are really open to anything. I will have to look into the Bosch 500 induction, thanks for the recommendation it sounds nice.
Any experience/reccomendations for any of these setups?
I read good things about the Bosch dishwashers and they are cheaper than Miele so they seem appealing. I have been slowly pouring through the forums here and getting great info. You all are very helpful!

I don't have one (I wouldn't spend the $$) but Miele seems to be uniformly the best-rated dishwasher (not only on GW, but among friends too). however, I have a Bosch dishwasher and so far it's been fantastic (my history with dishwashers stinks so anything that holds a lot and cleans well gets my vote LOL).