My quest for Furn & A/C peace of mind....Rrrrr!

[indmrd]

O.K. I'm in my midwest capecod with 1,100 Sq.Ft. brick. New windows, attic insulation. I've taken 2 estimates for Furn.&A/C replacement.
At this point I have just about ruled out the Armstrong & Goodman furnaces. The Goodman A/C I'm still considering, unless someone has some good advice. But everyone speeks of buying an extended warranty for each unit.
My questions:
--Are they MANUFACTURERS or after market warranties?
--Should I buy the above units and go with extendo warranties, thus saving the purchase of pricey units?
OR... Just go top of the line units and pay..pay..pay!
--Oh, and one contractor wants to put in a 110K BTU Goodman (and he said going down to a 90K BTU would only save $60..are they that close in pricing..sorry..I know pricing isn't supposed to be talked about..but this will give me insight to him as a CON?tractor.) and the other contractor wants to install a 67K BTU Armstrong.
--Are Tranes the real deal or can I get something in the middle and have very reliable product????

Thanks all...INDMRD

[contactor]

Dont have enough info on your home. I would get some more estimates tho.Possibly do a heat load calc, and look at your exsisting ductwork,and why your replacing.Your best bet is a great hvac contractor to install whatever Equip you choose with your situation. Dont choose the equipment as much as you do the install Co. They will back you up in the long run. I dont believe in extended warranties myself>

[mikemich]

Scratch the contractor who wants to put a 110,000 btu furnace in a 1,100sq' home.Unless you live in Alaska,70,000btu is more what you probably need.I haven't seen your home so I said probably,but the guy probably wants to go with the 110,000 for the plenum size to make it an easy slide.As far as comparing units go,I think you would be surprised that other than the heat exchanger and cabinet they all pretty much have one of two brands of components.So the choice is yours to decide what value you can afford.

[tinner73]

maybe this will help....
http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?threadid=64862