We recently bought a
Schwinn 420 elliptical and like it a lot. I have a gym membership and also do a lot of other cardio besides elliptical, so I wasn't looking for an elliptical with tons of features.
This one fit the bill and the price was right at $600. There are a few programs on it as well as the heart rate pads. You can increase the amount of resistance, however you can't change the incline.
It is sturdy, well built, and VERY quiet. We also have a Schwinn recumbent bike that is extremely quiet as well. That's nice to have in the house. It also has a small footprint at only about 5 ft long.
It may not have all the fancy bells and whistles, but does deliver on a good, sweaty workout especially when you up the resistance.
Here's a picture of ours:
And a size comparassion to our bike:
