To modulate or not to modulate - what furnace to go with?

[mike02563]

Any advice is greatly appreciated:

I'm in the middle of an oil to gas to conversion. I have to make a decision on a new furnace. At the moment I have two furnaces in mind. The cheapest to purchase would be the Burnham Alpine being offered at an already discounted price from National Grid for around $1K after rebate. I was given the suggestion of the HTP Elite as well which seems a better furnace overall and with a higher rebate may not be that much more then the Alpine($500-$800 difference).

Can anyone please tell me if, on a moderate budget with a mind towards longevity and reliability, am I on the right track here? Or should I not bother with mod-cons at all since it seems issues abound - but are the older style furnaces that much more reliable?

I also hear good things about the Triangle Tube company but hear they have install concerns.What concerns me now since I was leaning towards the Elite, and I had heard good things about Munchkins. My understanding is that they are / were made from the same company and built similarly? Since I couldn't find reviews on the Elite, I looked at reviews of the Munckin. After reading the reviews on the following site, I am no sure I should go with either - the Alpine OR Elite now.

http://www.furnacecompare.com/furnaces/munchkin/reviews
http://www.furnacecompare.com/furnaces/burnham/reviews

seems to be a lot of very unsatisfied consumers...

I am just looking for some advice on what furnace to go with - one of these or is there another I should consider. I'll be making a decision soon - any help that anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Mike