We have two Overhead Door garage door openers (chain drive) from I think the mid to late 1980s. We had a small repair on one last year; need a minor repair on the other now. I'm thinking it is time to replace. Jim Dulley's web site has a great information bulletin on types of openers and things to consider, and Lowe's is running a special on installation ($99 for a "basic install" in my area).

I'm wondering whether there is any benefit to getting a certain brand that might be compatible with our current setup, and whether our current guide rails would be higher quality than the ones that come with today's openers. Can we mix and match?

I'm thinking of upgrading to openers with screw drives as they will be quieter.

Thanks for any input!