Need a new Heat Pump/Air handler, any recommendations?

[Dadsguns]

I had a 2.5 ton 12 seer Carrier heat pump and air handler unit I purchased in 2000, it has a leak in it for sure but the repair man cant find it and will return in the morning to continue looking.  I suspect this thing is on its last leg anyhow and will be looking for a new one to replace it.  It has saved me lots of money since I had it and was pleased with that aspect of being energy efficient.

I am doing some homework now to at least be knowledgeable and prepared for the sticker shock of a new system in the morning, from what I have gathered so far is that ACEEE recommends SEER of at least 14.5 and an EER of at least 11.6 if you live in hot and humid conditions. 

If there are any heat pump repair guys out there that could give me their recommendation on a system to buy that would not break the bank it would be greatly appreciated.   

I did not buy my Carrier system from this current repairman and they seem very knowledgeable and he recommends not to purchase a carrier again due to the cost of repairing parts or circuit cards as well as delay in parts arriving.  Janatrol or Trane is what he recommends, but again, its about the bang for the buck.

Any thoughts, thanks in advance.

[Dadsguns]

I dodged a bullet on this one for now, for some reason all of the freon had leaked out, well supposedly.  After the pressure checks and vacuum checks it passed the test with no explanation of where the freon went. 
The Tech and I suspect some huffing going on, good for me, bad for them since it didn't cost a dime to replace it.

[RichardDarkwood]

Always go with the carrier brand. They use a  Copeland scroll compressor and their name far exceeds their product.







Todd