I don't see paying a lot of money for a vacuum cleaner if the only carpet you have is in the bedrooms.
Anyway, I just bought a new Hoover and it's HORRIBLE! Noisy and now the brush won't rotate and there is nothing stopping it. My husband is downstairs right now in fact trying to fix the problem.
I bought a Consumers Reports magazine and they listed four as best buys:
Kenmore Progressive with direct drive 35922 $300.00
Kenmore Progressive with direct drive 36932 $300.00
Eureka Boss Smart Vac Ultra 4870 $140.00
Kenmore Progressive 25512 $300.00