Someone came out today and measured my house . They will return next
week with an estimate for a new a/c (condenser and air handler) for
Trane, Goodman and possibly Carrier. I have someone coming early next
week from a different company ... same type estimates.

I know that Trane and Goodman are made in this country. I also know
Trane is better known but Goodman has a good reputation...(my current
condenser is a 15-yr. old Goodman. Got it to replace a Singer that
had gone bad and Goodman was only thing that would work with the air
handler. It has never had any problems).

What I would like to know - preferably from someone who works on a/c
systems ... are they comparable as far as problems/break downs go?
Will one outlast the other? Goodman costs less. Is it just because
of name recognition?

I have a Carrier air handler. I bought it to replace the Singer when
it broke - and because it would work with a Goodman condenser. The
first Carrier lasted about one year and two weeks. I had a one year
warranty but the company that sold it to me replaced it free of charge
except for labor. No problems since then...about four years.
Still, it makes me skeptical...may not be justified.

This is a big expense and I want to be sure I am making a smart
choice. My husband wants to wait until what we have breaks before
replacing it ... I don't want to be rushed. People across the street
from me got a 3 1/2 ton Trane, 1300 SEER and their utility bill went
down a lot even though they only had it for 15-days of billing cycle.