** I read somewhere that they are more costly to repair and something about the finish wearing off. **

They can be more expensive to repair and depending on how it is used, the surface may not stay pristine for its entire life. You will also need to use pots and pans that have absolutely flat bottoms and no cast iron.

** I also want a side by side but are there that many more problems with them then the regular top freezer type? **

Not usually although if you get a model with through the door ice and water dispenser, those extra gadgets will usually require some service (sometimes expensive) down the line (in addition to regular fridge related problems). Also the water filters installed on such models do require replacing at least twice and sometimes as much as 4 times a year. Filters range in price from $20-$45 a pop!

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site

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The gas stove will be less expensive to operate, but it is not more efficient. I doubt you will notice the difference in the energy bill no matter what fridg and stove you buy. I wouldn't buy according to efficiency.
We have a smoothtop electric stove. I wanted the smooth top because i do the cleaning, and I didn't want clean the burner grates. The glass top is 3 years old and still looks good. The stove is convection, which is a useful feature. There aren't too many gas convection stoves available.

I would consider a side by side counter depth refrigerator. They look good and don't protrude out into the room.
I read that Dacor is coming out with a 30" wide dishwasher, which probably has a pretty large capacity compared to the standard 24" unit.

The smooth top is easier to clean, but gas has some advantages too. When you turn off the gas, the heat stops instantly - but when you turn off an electric burner, the heat goes on for quite awhile. This can be a real problem when something is boiling over and you've got your hands full and no place to put the "hot" pot.
Another issue for some people is that it's nice to have one appliance that can make heat that doesn't rely on electricity. (Gas furnace still needs electric blower.) When your electric power goes off in winter, you won't completely freeze if you can light a gas burner on the stove.

If you have cat(s) do not, repeat do not get an electric cooktop. As the other poster mentioned, the burners stay hot a long time, and cats love jumping up on counters, and they would get severly burned if they hopped up there after you were finished cooking. There are dual fuel stoves by jenn air, maytag, and GE available where the top is gas, and the oven is electric, some even convection. We are going to install a Jenn Air cooktop with the removable burners and grill, and a Jenn Air built in electric convection oven.