Snowblowers, finally a topic that I know something about!
The current Ariens 824 (
http://www.ariens.com/products/sno/932101/ )that you can buy at Home Depot and everywhere else (if you can still find one!) for $999 has been de-contented from the earlier 724 and 824 Ariens machines that are sold at lawn & garden equipment stores.
The Toro 824 (
http://www.toro.com/home/snowthrower...throw/824.html )is a nice machine for $999 too; again, if you can even find one.
The Husqvarna 8024 (
http://www.husqvarna.com )is a pretty nice machine too. It has been redesigned for 2002 and is also around $999. I had a '95 model at my old house in Lynn and then sold it to my brother-in-law, it's still running strong for him.
If you want to get in to some serious iron, you might look at the commercial models from Simplicity (
http://www.simplicitymfg.com/p_comm.html ). These are made in Wisconsin where they know something about snow! I have the Simplicity 860DLXE, it's pricy for a 24" machine, but it has a lot of features that the cheaper machines don't.
Depending on where you live, you may want to stick with whatever your local lawn & garden equipment dealer carries. Service is just as important as price. Try your local Snapper or John Deere dealer too.