We've had our Dyson DC-14 Animal for over 3 years and love it. Dyson customer service is awesome too. One of my kids decided to vacuum up a wet mess one day and the flexible part of the hose got all dirty from the sticky residue. I called them and asked how to clean it and they sent me a new hose for free. I was within 12 months of buying it, but free is always good.
Hoovers suck. You'd think that would be a good thing when you're talking about vacuums, but it's not.